Saving Minato's Soul
by HighQueen
Summary: Because even Heaven was worse than Hell when she was alone, without him. She would rather live on earth and fight a hundred wars, than waste away in this paradise. A determined, heartbroken Kushina embarks on a mission to save Minato's soul from the Shinigami. Jiraiya and the other shinobi soon join forces, to take down the Death God and save their Hokages. MinaKushi, Post-canon.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

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**Saving Minato's Soul**

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**Prologue**

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_Smiling eyes, silvery blue in the moonlight. His arms were warm and secure as he cradled her, holding her close._

_"I didn't want to lose you," he said softly._

_He held her to his heart, standing on the pinnacle of a treetop amidst a kingdom of green. _

_They were on top of the world, but everything has to fall eventually._

_In the end, she was the one who lost him._

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_"You need rest. You should sleep."_

_He ignored her protests, and gently lay her down onto the sleeping bag._

_"You need to recover your chakra. I'll take this watch."_

_He kissed her on her forehead, his fingers brushing a strand of fiery hair out of her face, and then sat under the pine tree, his back against the rough bark._

_Less than a second later, the sound of crunching grass._

_He met her gaze, gentle admonishment in his own._

_She glared at him, before making herself comfortable._

_His lap was a better pillow, and he smiled, stroking her cheek._

_"It was only to sleep."_

_"Want to – be with you," she stifled a yawn._

_"You always will be," he assured her._

_A broken promise._

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_Where she tugged and pulled ferociously, he was gentle, his hands threading through the red waterfall as he eased the tangles._

_"Mm, you're so good at this. How can you be so patient?"_

_"Your hair is beautiful."_

_He could picture the expressive roll of eyes, but she leaned into his chest._

_"You're a sap."_

_"I was being honest."_

_"Will you brush it for me, every day?" _

_She turned around and his nose bumped against hers._

_"Even after I'm Hokage."_

_She smiled against his lips._

_Eventually, she had to struggle with her own hair, despising it for reminding her of the man it had once linked her to. _

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_"We have to go visit Whirlpool with Naruto! When he's old enough!" _

_"Hm…"_

_"I hear it's called Land of Waves now! Can we, Minato, please?"_

_Grey-violet eyes sparkled and her voice lilted with excitement. He could never say no._

_He rested his head against her swollen belly and smiled._

_"Of course we will."_

_He added another thing, another wish to their increasingly lengthy list._

_A list they would never begin to complete. _

:::::

_The last remnants of the sinister chakra faded away._

_There was an emptiness, blood gushing out, where a demonic claw had once been._

_Pure air, no longer reeking with malice. Pain, inexorable pain. The ringing cries of a child._

_"Na-Naruto," Kushina cried, collapsing to the ground._

_The seal flared, but was stable._

_"Mi-Minato – we – we did it…"_

_Everything blurred and tilted to the side. She fought to move her screaming muscles, feeling the life pouring out of her._

_She pressed backwards into a hard chest, as bloodied as hers, and clutch desperately at her husband._

_A fading heartbeat, ragged breathing._

_"Minato, Minato," she gasped, "Anato wo aishiteru!"_

_His trembling arms encircled hers, and he tipped forward, his forehead resting against hers._

_"See you – in a few years," he rasped._

_Darkness took over._

_His smiling face was the last thing she saw, a light amidst the shadows. _

_They died like lovers, in each other's arms._

_They died smiling._

_They died unknowing._

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Author's Note: This is my response to the debate that's been going on, about whether Kushina and Minato will live together in the afterlife, considering the fact that he's sealed himself in the stomach of the Shinigami (Death God). Though I'm sure, Minato being Minato, found a way out, or that the two are connected somehow or something; because I will not accept the fact that they are not together in canon. I mean, Kushina said she was leaving to be with Minato, so there must have been some loophole that Kishimoto forgot to tell us about.

Nonetheless, the idea that the two would be separated tormented me, and this story is my response to that. It'll be about 7-8 chapters long, I estimate, and it will have MinaKushi, along with a lot of other characters. It takes place in a universe that could be canon, and follows the canon timeline, but its the afterlife, so in that way its sort of AU. This is going to be pretty angsty and sad for the first couple chapters, but I promise it gets better. This is just the prologue, I'll start posting the chapters in a day or two. Please review!


	2. Arrival into the Afterlife

_Disclaimer: Firstly, I don't own Naruto. Secondly, this story is not meant to be religious or have any religious affiliations in any way. All references to Heaven and Hell are purely based on fiction and have been used to promote the plot of this story and thus are in no way are meant to reflect or refer to any particular religious notions of the same. _

_Author's Note: Thank you all for your support! Special thanks to **Xan, kuramaove, spartan1802, Toni Boloni, Maelynae **and **Kiyumi Arashi **for your kind words. Loved reading what you had to say and your own theories on this entire business, my darlings!  
_

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**Saving Minato's Soul**

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**Arrival into the Afterlife**

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Kushina Uzumaki soared upwards, a smile on her face and joy in her heart.

She had just reunited with Naruto, and the boy had been everything and more than she had hoped for.

Her heart had panged looking at him though; Naruto resembled Minato in many ways, with the same golden hair, the same clear blue eyes and the same sunshiny smile, though his features had been more like her own and not as angled as Minato's.

"Minato…" she murmured, a blush alighting her cheeks.

She hadn't seen him in years, and she yearned for him.

She longed for the feel of his strong arms around her, for his gentle voice, for his tender gaze, his smile, his laugh.

"I'm coming Minato!"

:::::

Her soul ascended through the clouds, and then into a large white space.

It was blank and seemingly endless, the overwhelming whiteness, but Kushina didn't stop there, feeling the inexorable upwards tug.

Her head spun, and then with a thud, she was out of the white ocean, and had landed somewhere, on hard ground.

Kushina blinked a few times, and then looked around.

Heaven looked surprisingly familiar.

She was in a forest, amidst a clearing of trees, and she had the nagging feeling that she had been there before.

_Dancing blue eyes._

_His hands, tight on her waist, pushing her gently._

_The bark rough against her back._

_'Minato!'_

_A smile, and then golden bangs brush against her forehead._

_'We'll be late for-mmph!'_

_She is silenced by his soft lips covering her own._

Yes, she defnitely knew that clearing, and Kushina blushed, recalling a particularly favorite memory of hers.

Minato had kissed her against one of those very trees, on their way back from a mission. She wouldn't forget what it looked like.

She dashed out of the forest, almost instinctively knowing what path to take, which way to turn, as she made her way through hauntingly familiar landscape.

'Could it be?'Kushina didn't dare to hope.

But then the familiar green gates loomed up ahead, and a bright smile broke across her face.

She was home.

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Kushina hadn't expected the afterlife to have its own Konoha, but the village was there, just as she had remembered it.

Charming and quaint, the streets bustling with activity, familiar buildings and stalls, the Hokage Monument carved with the heads of the first four leaders, watching over the village.

Kushina gazed at Minato's large, imposing head jutting out of the stone, and smiled to herself.

She'd see him soon enough!

She ambled through Konoha, unsure of where to find him, and decided to take the path towards the Hokage Tower.

She passed many people, both civilians and shinobi, but she didn't meet anyone she recognized. She surmised that they had been citizens of Konoha who had died before she had been born.

Konoha was largely the same, though it seemed a lot more pristine than she remembered it. There were no dilapidated buildings, nothing littering the roads.

Konoha had always been relatively wealthy, and clean, but this – this paradise Konoha was unblemished and perfect.

A village at its peak, exactly how Kushina imagined the founders had wished it to be when they first built it.

"Kushina?"

A familiar, delighted female voice filled her ears.

"Kushina! It's you – finally!"

The voice wavered slightly, and Kushina whirled around, lighting up.

The slender, dark-haired Uchiha beauty looked just the same.

"Mikoto!"

She embraced the girl, a friend from over a decade ago, hugging her tightly.

"You're finally here," Mikoto was overjoyed, looking over Kushina a few times, her onyx eyes sparkling, "I've been waiting for you! I knew what happened with the Kyuubi, but then you weren't here when I came, so I guessed that your soul had been sealed or something."

"Minato had sealed my chakra into Naruto," Kushina confirmed, "So I could meet him when he grew up for awhile. But – I can't believe this is happening!"

Kushina pulled away, and gestured to the village around them.

"All this – it's surreal! It's just like – it's just like back down on earth!"

"It is, isn't it?" Mikoto beamed, "The Senju clan rebuilt Konoha, except since this is Heaven, it's always peacetime and there are never any conflicts! It's like an idea village, this place."

"That's amazing," Kushina grinned, "I'm going to the Hokage Tower, will you walk with me there?"

"Come on," Mikoto looped an arm through Kushina's, "I have so much to tell you! And you silly girl, dying on me like that! Do you know how much I cried?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! But I did what I had to. How come you're here, by the way? I mean, I'm glad to see you, but – you died pretty early," Kushina trailed off, uncertain how to put it.

Mikoto's face dropped slightly.

"It's a long story," she sighed, "The Uchiha were planning a coup and Itachi – look, why don't we talk about that later. How's Naruto doing? Itachi told me that him and Sasuke are best friends, just like we'd hoped!"

"They are, Naruto said the same," Kushina said happily, "They fight a lot though, apparently. A lot."

"Sasuke's just stubborn," Mikoto rolled her eyes, "Itachi told me everything he knew. Sasuke's really lucky to have someone like Naruto in his life."

They chattered on their way to the Hokage Tower, and Kushina saw several familiar faces.

However, the village seemed a lot less crowded than she would have imagined, and on a closer look, Kushina noticed that Mikoto actually seemed quite tense beneath her cheerful façade.

"What's wrong?" Kushina asked.

"The war," Mikoto bit her lip, "On earth. Orochimaru's apprentice used Edo Tensei. A lot of our best have been called back to fight, and he's controlling their souls."

"That – that's monstrous!" Kushina gaped, "What will happen to them?"

"They'll eventually come back, once Edo Tensei is released," Mikoto said sadly, "Oh, but Kushina – you haven't seen what he's doing! He's using them against the Konoha shinobi, and the others! He took back Dan-san, Hizashi-san, Asuma-kun… he even took Itachi…"

Her voice trailed off at this part, and Kushina put an arm around her.

"I'm so_ worried _about him Kushina!" Mikoto confessed, "He's gone through so much already, with the massacre and with Sasuke! He doesn't deserve this. He just needs to be allowed to rest in peace, at least after his death!"

"Don't worry," Kushina assured her, though she was quite shocked with this recent development, "Itachi-kun was always a little genius. If anyone can break through a technique like that, it's him."

:::::

After taking her leave of Mikoto, Kushina raced to the familiar building, though her eyes kept flicking to the side for a sight of golden hair and blue eyes.

She glimpsed a few familiar faces on the way, but the one who she wanted to reunite with most of all was her precious Minato.

She burst into the Hokage Tower, fully expecting him to be there.

He wasn't.

"I'm so sorry," Kushina began hastily, before her mouth dropped.

The woman looked up from a scroll she was reading, her hazel eyes widening slightly in recognition.

"Mito-obaa-san!"

"Kushina-chan!" Mito rose from the Hokage's chair, her face overjoyed.

"I've missed you!" Kushina embraced her.

"As have I, Kushina-chan. Now, let me take a good look at you," Mito pulled away, patting her head, "You've become so beautiful, my dear. Also, I've heard a lot from the other shinobi about some of the phenomenal things you've done. I'm so proud of you."

Kushina flushed at the praise, before noticing something.

Mito's skin was smooth and unwrinkled. Her hair was bright red, unfaded, the same color as Kushina's. She was beautiful, but moreover, she was _young. _

"We're restored up here," Mito smiled, reading her thoughts, "To how we were at our peaks, our how we would be. All sicknesses, all injuries, any deterioration or ageing – it just disappears, for eternity."

"Oh, wow," Kushina was impressed, "That's pretty neat! But Mito-obaa-san, why are you in the Hokage's seat? Where's Hashirama-sama? Shouldn't he be here if you are?"

At this, Mito's smile faded, and an indescribable sorrow filling her hazel eyes.

"Kushina-chan," she said softly, "Hashirama had to leave a few years ago… the Sandaime Hokage sealed him and Tobirama into the Death God's stomach... and none of them came back... they're trapped there forever."

"…oh," Kushina said in a small voice, and suddenly, something felt terribly wrong.

Her heart clenched, and a wave of dizziness overcame her, as memories flashed through her head.

_'Why must you sacrifice yourself for me?!_

_'I'm not doing this just for you. I'm doing this for Naruto. I will gladly die for my son._

"N-no," she gasped, feeling all the breath leave her body, "N-no – it can't be."

_Determined blue eyes. Hands swiftly moving through seals._

"I – I have to go," Kushina muttered, "Have to find – Minato…"

_Roars split the air, as the Kyuubi chakra was pulled out by an invisible hand._

"Kushina-chan," Mito began, "Wait-"

But Kushina didn't, and she dashed out, her heart pounding.

"Minato!" she cried, racing through the village, "Minato?!"

_Kushina… it's because of you that I'm the Fourth Hokage! You made me a man! And yo made me this baby's father!_

"Where are you?!" her pleas grew more frantic as she leapt over rooftops, eyes searching desperately, "MINATO?!"

_A soft, loving gaze. A faint smile pulling at chapped, bleeding lips._

_Warmth, as his dying hand found hers._

"Minato," Kushina choked, her knees buckling.

_'I love you.'_

Tears filled her eyes as realization hit her.

_'I didn't want to lose you.'_

"Liar," she whispered brokenly, "Minato-"

_'See you – in a few years.'_

"LIAR!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face, her heart cracking.

_Warm blue eyes, a tender smile, a loving touch._

"MINATO! NO! NO! NO! COME BACK! NO!"

She hadn't realized before, but it hit her now, as Mito's words echoed in her head.

Minato was in there too, with his predecessors.

Minato was trapped in the stomach of the Death God.

Forever. For eternity.

"NO!"

She would never see him again. She would never see his beautiful smile, or hear his voice teasing her.

He would never wrap his arms around her and hold her, he would never play with her hair, he would never kiss her.

"MINATO!" Kushina screamed, as sobs were ripped from her throat, "Minato – Minato – Minato…"

She shook, and her heart clenched and she couldn't say she'd rather die, because death was nothing but torture without him, and Heaven was nothing but the deepest Hell.

Tears continued to pour down her cheeks, tears which only his hands could wipe away.

She wanted him to hold her close to him.

She wanted his soft voice in her ear, reassuring her that it would be alright.

She wanted his fingers to stroke her hair.

He had always been there for her, always been there with her. He had always made anything, everything better.

But now… now he was suffering in the worst place a soul could suffer, despite being the most kind and sacrificing soul that had ever existed.

If anyone deserved Heaven, it was Minato.

The worst thing was that, unlike with life on earth, where death was an escape – there was no escaping Heaven.

The prospect that she could _never _see him again – it was too much to bear.

She would forever be alone, ripped apart from the love of her life, from her soulmate, for eternity.

"Minato! Minato –" Kushina gasped, "No! No no no no no no…"

Kushina's heart shattered like it never had when she had been alive and she screamed out in agony.

"MINATO! NO!"

Her cry was pained and terrible, a cry which was never heard in a sacred paradise, a cry which was not meant to wrack the peace and calm of Heaven.

And sitting in the Hokage Tower, Mito Uzumaki wiped away a tear, because she _knew _that cry and she _knew _that pain.

She faced it every single day.

Kushina clenched at her hair, tearing out a few strands in her agony.

_Sky-blue eyes crinkled at the corners._

"NO!"

_'I'll always find you.'_

"HOW WILL YOU FIND ME NOW, MINATO?! How – will – you – find – me – now?"

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_Author's Note: I know that was excessively angsty, and I'm sorry, but please don't be disheartened. This story will get lighter. I've already written the ending, because writing this just made me so upset that I had to. Now what's left is the middle bits._

_Please review and let me know your thoughts! I'm super busy right now with an internship and a bunch of things, so your words truly are a motivation for me right now.  
_

_Also, if that depressed you and you want to read some happy, pointless MinaKushi!fluff to take your mind off it - go check my fic 'orange sparks', you might be inclined to hate me less for this chapter! :P  
_

_Till next time!  
_

_xx  
_

_HighQueen  
_


	3. Edo Tensei

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All disclaimers regarding religion, Heaven and Hell stated in chapter 2, also reply._

_Author's Note: I was absolutely thrilled by your support, and they were extremely motivating! A special thanks to **GiggleHeMan, Imaginarivalued, systemman, whitefang245, Serene Grace, KiyumiArashi, Lilac Orbs, Guest,** and** Maelynae**__for your reviews!__  
_

_Also, just want to make a couple of clarifications.  
_

_Firstly, an edit in the previous chapter. As **systemman** kindly pointed out, Hashirama and Tobirama were Edo-Tensei'd after Mito died, meaning she had gotten to meet them in heaven for a good while before they were summoned. The dialogue I wrote it made it seem like they never had been to Heaven in the first place, which is wrong, because unlike Minato, after their deaths their souls were free to go to Heaven. I have changed this so that it is factually correct, and thank you **systemman **for pointing out that little error!_

_Secondly, in response to a doubt a few of you have expressed: no, the souls in Heaven cannot 'see' what is happening on earth. However, they do have a pretty constant supply of information from those who die and come up to Heaven after them. For example, Mikoto would know about Edo Tensei, because the Konoha shinobi who died in the Fourth War would have come up and spread the word about the on-goings down on Earth. That is why Mito, Mikoto and several other characters know about events that have occurred after the deaths. I hope that makes sense, and if you have any questions or doubts, feel free to leave them in a review or PM, I will do my best to explain/answer them.  
_

_That is all I had to clarify, now on with the chapter!  
_

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**Saving Minato's Soul**

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**Edo Tensei **

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"Kushina-chan."

Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up, recognizing the voice at once.

Her grief was mirrored in his dark eyes.

"I'm sorry," the man said, his voice cracking, "I never wanted - not for him. He was my best-"

Jiraiya buried his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry. I should have been there. I should have been the one."

Kushina slowly sat up, pulling out pieces of grass and leaves stuck to her hair.

It seemed like a perpetual blanket of darkness had covered her heart, and she knew that even in Heaven, she would never truly be happy again.

"Jiraiya-sensei," she croaked.

"This Konoha," Jiraiya went on, "It should be a perfect world. All the evil is rotting in hell. This Konoha – it's unreachable. It's a paradise of peace and no conflict. It's my dream, you know, what I always wanted to achieve, what I died for…"

Kushina said nothing, just stared at the grass numbly.

"But I would rather fight a million more wars, if I – if I could just see him again," the old man admitted, and a fresh wave of tears poured out of Kushina's eyes.

"I would rather – live in the hellish depths – of a demon's stomach," she spat, shaking.

Jiraiya's hand was heavy on her head.

Minato's touch had always been so light and gentle.

:::::

"How come you weren't summoned?" Kushina asked dully, as she walked alongside Minato's teacher, "For the war on earth?"

"My body's buried at the bottom of the ocean," Jiraiya replied gruffly, "Bastard can't find me there."

"Who do you mean-"

"It's Orochimaru. My asshole of a teammate. The man who cast Edo Tensei has to be linked to him somehow. I know it. It's just what he would do. I should have killed him properly when I had a chance."

Jiraiya's voice was pained.

"I made a lot of mistakes," he continued, "Orochimaru was one of them. I also – I should have stayed in Konoha – the night of the Kyuubi – I'm sorry, I should have-"

"Sensei," Kushina said, unable to hear it, "Please don't."

She couldn't bear to think of that now, the _what if's._

_What if Minato hadn't sealed himself away and had just died normally?_

It would kill her and she was already dead.

"There's no way to escape, is there?" she asked after awhile.

"Heaven is permanent," Jiraiya said sadly, "We stay here, perpetually young, unplagued by illnesses or injuries."

She tuned out quickly thereafter, though not before hearing his sad, quiet murmur.

"It's almost like immortality, what we have up here… if only you hadn't been such a coward and accepted death, you would have actually fulfilled your dream, you bastard…"

"Do you think there's any chance?" Kushina asked suddenly, and Jiraiya looked at her sharply.

"Chance?"

"Bringing them back, saving their souls somehow."

"Kushina, they're in the stomach of the Death God-"

"Well then - can we meet him? The Death God? Can we speak to him? Barter maybe?"

"Kushina, he's in Hell," Jiraiya said sadly, "It's not possible to-"

"Not possible?" Kushina glared at him, her eyes flashing, "Or just that nobody has tried?"

_'You're crazy,' Kushina rolled her eyes, shoveling ramen down her throat, 'A time-space manipulation like that would kill you, so don't even think of it, Minato. Shinobi are fast, but we're not meant to be that fast!'_

_'I still think I can do it,' he said thoughtfully, his chin resting on his hands._

_She polished down her ramen, and eyed his bowl. He sighed, before pushing it towards her._

_'Thank you!' she squealed, and he smiled at her fondly, before lapsing back into thought._

_She poked him._

_'Minato!' she bit out, between mouthfuls of ramen, 'Seriously, it's a cool idea for a jutsu, but honestly, it's not possible!'_

_His determined gaze met hers._

_'Not possible, Kushina?' he asked, 'Or just that nobody has tried?'_

:::::

"Kushina, I understand, more than _anyone, _what you're going through," Mito whispered, reaching out to touch Kushina's wet cheek, "But what you're speaking of – going to hell and summoning the Death God – it's simply not possible."

"We can try!" Kushina flinched away from her touch.

Minato used to touch her cheek like that.

"If humans on earth can summon the Death God, I'm sure we can too!"

"This is Heaven. He will not come here. It goes against the very nature of the universe."

"I don't care! I will go down to Hell if I have to!" Kushina yelled, her eyes stinging, "I don't care what I have to do – I need to – I need him back!"

She clenched her fists, and a lone tear slipped out of Mito's eyes.

"I want him back too, Kushina," she said brokenly, "I want him back too…"

"So then why don't you _help _me?!" Kushina begged, "Mito-obaa-san, please! You want your husband back as badly as I do mine! And your brother-in-law, and the third! Why can't we find a way, even if it means going to Hell?!"

"The Death God himself controls the gates of Hell, Kushina. He would not let us in," Jiraiya said from the corner of the room, where he stood with his arms crossed, "Only souls of the purest evil are enchained down there, enslaved forever-"

"Minato's down there!" Kushina cried, "And he's the most pure and perfect and _good _soul that ever lived!"

"I know that," Jiraiya said gravely, "But the fact is, only on earth can one summon the Death God."

"So let's go down to earth!"

"Kushina, that's not possible – unless you have remnants of your chakra preserved or sealed into an object or a person –"

"Aaargh!" Kushina ground out in frustration, "I was _just _down there! I _just _met Naruto – I would have _told _him! Is there no way I can communicate with him now?!"

There was silence in the room for a few moments, until Jiraiya spoke.

"There may be a way… for you to communicate with Naruto… though I don't know what good that would do. Even if he summoned the Shinigami, nothing would come of it-"

"How?" Kushina asked quickly, "How can it be done? Jiraiya-sensei, you have to tell me."

"There's someone I know – someone who could control his spirit and project it out of his body. I don't know if the same jutsu would work from here, but he's more knowledgeable about souls and astral projection than I am. If there's any way for you to go down to earth – he would know."

"Take me to him," Kushina said immediately, "He can teach me! Please!"

"I can't," Jiraiya said sadly, "He's being controlled by Edo Tensei right now."

Kushina swore out loud, banging her fist against her knee.

"Kushina, it will end," Jiraiya entreated, "The war will end, eventually. Edo Tensei will be released. His soul will come back, and then you can-"

"When?!" Kushina snarled, "_When _can I talk to him?! Why do I have to _wait_?! Every second I waste, Minato suffers down in that _infernal _place _– _it's not fair!"

"Kushina, we're here forever," Jiraiya said softly, "You have all the time in the world…"

She growled out in frustration and stormed out of the room, her red hair whipping behind her.

:::::

A few days later, Kushina asked Jiraiya who the spirit-controlling man was.

"Dan Kato," Jiraiya said, and it looked like he'd swallowed something unpleasant, the way he said the name.

"Who is he?"

"…Tsunade's lover," Jiraiya replied slowly, and then Kushina understood why.

Still, Kushina thought, it was better to having unrequited love.

Better than having experienced true love and then having it torn away for eternity.

She immediately kicked herself a few seconds after, for thinking that kind of thing.

She'd known Minato for twenty years, been his best friend for fourteen, his girlfriend for twelve, and his wife for four.

She would never have given that up, given up all those precious memories with him, for anything.

Still, Kushina wondered, sinking to her knees on the grass, why did it have to hurt so much?

She dissolved into sobs again, ignoring Jiraiya's awkward attempts to comfort her. The Sannin soon gave up, and left.

_An arm wrapped around her shoulders, a hand rubbing her back soothingly._

_Concerned cerulean blue eyes gazed at her from under blonde bangs._

_'Stop crying, Kushina,' he entreated her softly, 'I don't like seeing you sad. Please stop crying.'_

"DAMNIT!"

:::::

"Hey," Kushina said softly, clinging onto the sheer rock with her chakra, "I miss you, you know…"

The features, so familiar, even they were much cruder than his, stared blankly back.

She stared into the large eyes, shaped almost perfectly like his, or as perfect as you can get when you carve into a rock.

The shinobi of the village had recreated the Hokage Monument, with the faces of their four dead leaders.

All four of whom, unfortunately, were trapped in a place they could never escape, a place from where they would never be able to come back to the village they so dearly loved and gave their lives for.

Kushina walked up Minato's nose and settled on top of his head, between the rocky spikes. It was where she spent most of her days in this washed-out Heaven.

"God, I miss you," she hugged the rock, "I miss you so much."

_'It was just a week-long mission, you know,' he couldn't help but grin, as he observed her, sitting amidst the rocky spikes on his monument head._

_'I can't help it,' she pouted, 'I missed you, and this was the second-best substitute I could get!'_

_'You're adorable,' his eyes twinkled, and he held out his arms, 'But now I'm back, so leave my head be, and come here.'_

"You're never coming back though," Kushina wailed into the silent night, "Minato?"

:::::

It was days later, during one of her sob-fests atop Minato's head that she noticed something strange in the village, a sudden stir.

She strained her eyes, looking towards the gates – a large group of shinobi were heading towards the village.

Since they were at war on Earth, it was common for new shinobi to filter through the gates every day, as their bodies fell victim down below.

However, this group was much larger than any group of souls entering the village Kushina had seen – and each and every one of them seemed to have large, formidable chakra signatures – they were shinobi of power, great power, and Kushina wondered how so many of them had been killed at once.

Suddenly, it hit her; she jumped up in one fluid motion.

"I'll be back, love," Kushina muttered to the rocks, leaping down.

She practically flew across the streets of Konoha and stopped at the gate, waiting anxiously, as the new group of shinobi advanced.

"ITACHI!" a familiar voice screamed from behind her, and a dark-haired woman barreled past her, into the crowd of shinobi.

It was Mikoto, and she embraced one of them – a tall, fair young man with black hair tied into a ponytail.

"Mother!" Kushina heard the shinobi cry, as Mikoto began pressing kisses to his head and his cheeks, tears streaming down her face.

"You did it," Mikoto was sobbing, "It was you, wasn't it? You broke it, didn't you? You found a way!"

"Yes..."

"Oh, I didn't think you could make your father and I more proud, Itachi, but you did!"

It was Itachi Uchiha, Mikoto's older son, Kushina realized with a jolt.

And if he was here, and Mikoto was saying that he'd 'broken it', that could only mean that her suspicions were correct and-

"Edo Tensei!" Kushina gasped, before raising her voice and running through the crowd, "Dan?! Dan-sama?!"

:::::

_A/N: I'm sorry this is a bit short, but I didn't have much time and I wanted to upload at least something as soon as I could. Next chapter should be up pretty soon. In the mean time, please do review! Your kind words are truly an inspiration to me! _


	4. A Matter of Chakra

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All aforementioned disclaimers regarding Heaven, Hell, religion and the like also apply._

_Author's Notes: Here is the next chapter! Please review and let me know what you think. I warn you - it's a bit slow-paced in terms of action, and is comprised mostly of dialogue and explanations, but that was necessary for the sake of plot.  
_

_In answer to a few questions: regarding my comment about Kushina being Minato's "best friend for fourteen, his girlfriend for twelve, and his wife for four" years, in terms of ages I guess I meant to say this. Kushina and Minato met at the academy when they were six. They became best friends at the age of 12, after he rescued her. They started dating 2 years later, at married 8 years later, at 22. And they died at 26. I made up those ages, of course, but they seem to fit into canon, since Minato made Hokage at 'under 30 years' so I'm taking his Hokage-age as 24, since that's my favorite number. So two years of marriage before Hokage-dom and two years after!  
_

_In response to your review **Guest**: Your idea about Dan sealing his chakra into Tsunade was brilliant, and I wish I had thought of it before, but this story was already too far written for my to change everything! Thanks for the feedback though, it was a cool theory! Wish I could have put it in somehow :( [I'm replying here because I have no way of contacting you otherwise!]  
_

_Special thanks to all of you who reviewed. 22 reviews so far, wow! I'm so kicked! **Serene Grace, Hatred bear it Fangs, Maelynae, CheekyCecy12, Guest, Imaginarivalued **and **GiggleHeMan, **you guys rock!  
_

_Also, I made a cover! Finally! I'd been meaning to but I'd sort of been procrastinating but then I went on this sort of mad rampage making covers for most of my stories... unfortunately I'm not too skilled with digital art, so this is a combination of anime screenshots, Microsoft Word and Paint. (Yes. I used MS Word to make a freaking cover. I don't know if that's badass or just plain pathetic since I don't possess better software at the moment and PrintShop won't work on my Mac!) I hope you all like it though! I edited Kushina on Paint from a picture of Sakura crying, if that's not obvious, haha. Anyways, enough of that, onto the fic!  
_

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**

**Saving Minato's Soul**

:::::

**A Matter of Chakra  
**

:::::

The lilac-haired man folded his hands together, his green eyes narrow.

They were congregated together at the Hokage's office: Kushina, Mito, Jiraiya and Dan.

"I don't think it's actually possible for us to enter Hell, Kushina," Dan finally said, after hearing everything, "Spirits from Heaven may be summoned to earth, as may spirits from Hell. But I have studied this field in depth, and to the best of my knowledge, it is impossible for a spirit of Heaven to enter Hell, and vice-versa. That is the nature of the universe; the earth, being a 'middle-ground' as such, is the only place the souls may intermingle, though even that can only occur in supernatural circumstances, such as, the Edo Tensei."

"But Minato's not in hell," Jiraiya cut in, "Well, not exactly-"

"That is an additional obstacle that separates him from us," Dan continued, "As all four Hokages are trapped within the Death God's stomach, they are neither in the pure nor impure world, and thus are incapable of being summoned. The closest we could get to them, is, if someone hypothetically summoned the Death God to earth, because then their souls would be in his stomach, while on earth, for a short period of time."

"So let's get someone to summon him!" Kushina cried, "Once the war's over!"

"Summoning the God of Death is not an easy task, Kushina," Dan said gravely, "Only exceptional shinobi like the Hokage are capable of such a feat."

"Naruto can do it," Kushina said firmly, "I _know _he can!"

"Even if he were to do it," Dan said, "There is no way of breaking any of the souls free from the Death God' stomach-"

"We'll trade them!" Kushina declared, "Trade them for other souls, _evil _souls who actually deserve to be there-"

"The Death God does not accept trade, Kushina," Dan said sadly, "He is a spiritual being, not a human. You cannot even communicate with him, or even see him for that matter. The extent of the jutsu only allows sealing, and even if you were to have Naruto summon the Death God, your son would have to give up his own soul in exchange."

"No," Kushina went white, "Not Naruto – I couldn't."

"There is no other option," Dan said, and his eyes held sorrow, "I'm sorry I cannot help you-"

Jiraiya quickly intervened, seeing that Kushina was about to explode.

"Could you teach her your Spirit Control Jutsu, Dan?" he asked, "So that she can at least communicate with Naruto?"

Jiraiya figured that if nothing, at least Kushina would find some solace in speaking to her son, the only remaining legacy of Minato that she had left.

"Spirit Control will not allow her to enter Hell," Dan replied, "And with our chakra levels, it is difficult to travel to earth. Even if a user were to reach, they wouldn't be able to stay for more than a couple seconds, before they ran out of chakra and there spirit was pulled back to Heaven-"

"How do you know that?" Kushina growled, "Like any jutsu, I'm sure it's possible to extend the time if-"

"I have been trying for years, Kushina," Dan said softly, "Its not possible. A normal soul can travel to the boundary between Heaven and earth, a seemingly endless white space of nothingness – that's where we often go to receive the souls of our loved ones as they make the journey upwards. But traversing the boundary and going beyond that – it's impossible without the jutsu, and even with the jutsu, you cannot sustain your soul on Earth for enough time to do anything worthwhile. I've been using Spirit Control for years, and I've only managed to remain on earth for a few seconds before I was sucked back."

Kushina clenched her fists, her nails digging into her skin.

"I have special chakra, and I have a lot more reserves than most normal shinobi, even without the Kyuubi," she bit out, "You have to teach me."

"I guess there's no harm trying," Dan conceded, "It's not like the jutsu can risk killing you."

:::::

Kushina then began training with Dan about Spirit Release. The purpose of the technique was, essentially, that it gave the user's spirit control over another being's body and chakra. However, as Dan had learnt in his attempts, the chakra needed for a spirit to get past the barrier separating Heaven and Earth was too great for the spirit to be left with adequate spiritual energy to even materialize on Earth for more than a couple seconds, forget control or communicate with another being.

Kushina persevered nonetheless, even though her first few attempts through the weeks she, like Dan, barely made it past the barrier separating the pure world from the material one.

"I did it before!" she bit out in frustration as she collapsed on the ground, exhausted, "I communicated with Naruto, and he said Minato did too!"

"That is because your soul had never crossed the boundary into heaven, it had just been hovering around the edge," Dan explained, "And you said a part of your chakra had been sealed into Naruto. Your soul manifested itself with that chakra allowing you to speak with him, but the moment the chakra was used up, you had to go, and your soul, no longer having any chakra binding it back to earth, finally crossed the boundary."

"But what about Minato?" Kushina demanded, "Naruto said he spoke to him! If he was sealed in the belly of the Demon, how did he speak to my son?"

"I don't think it was actually Minato's soul that spoke to him, Kushina," Dan said sadly, "It was probably just an apparition or an imprint of himself that Minato had imbibed into the chakra before his death. It is not possible that Naruto actually came into contact with his father's soul, though whatever he saw was probably the closest that he could have gotten otherwise. Regardless of that, Minato's chakra was eventually used up too, once his form dissipated, and all that remains of it is most likely locked within the Demon God with his soul."

"How can you be so sure?!"

"I have been studying souls and the supernatural worlds for years, Kushina-san," Dan bowed his head, "I will teach you all that I can, but I cannot give you the answers you want."

"Still – all I have to do is cross the boundary – and then maintain my form for long enough, even a few minutes?"

"Kushina-san, crossing the boundary is what uses up so much chakra that you are currently unable to maintain your form outside of it for more than a few seconds before your soul is sucked back here."

"I'll do it, eventually, Dan-san," Kushina muttered, shakily getting to her feet, "You'll see. When Tsunade-san dies, she's coming here to be with you – it's not like that for me. I have a much stronger motivation than you…"

"I truly hope for your sake that you can," Dan said pityingly.

"Oh, I will," Kushina said, glowering at nothing in particular, "I never give up, Dan-san. That's my nindo, my ninja way."

:::::

As she continued her relentless training, Kushina was also reunited with her old sensei, Sakumo Hatake, who had joined her on her quest to best the God of Death.

"Dan's right in saying that you can't make trades with Him," Sakumo said, "The only way I could imagine, and this sounds implausible in itself, is if you somehow destroyed him, because that could release the souls."

"So let's do that!"

Sakumo gave her a conciliatory smile.

"I'm just hypothesizing, Kushina. It's not actually possible to destroy the God of Death."

"There must be _some _way-"

"I understand your sorrow, Kushina," Sakumo placed a hand on her shoulder, "But-"

Kushina shrugged him off, her eyes shimmering.

"No, you don't," she said viciously, "Your wife is here with you! You don't understand anything, sensei!"

She turned on her heel and ran off, ignoring her teacher's calls.

"Minato's the only one-," she choked, "As always – he's the _only one_ who would understand!"

:::::

"Kushina."

Kushina turned around from her habitual spot on the Hokage Monument, and nodded in acknowledgement.

"I thought I'd find you here," Mikoto smiled sadly, "May I sit with you?"

"Yeah," Kushina muttered, wrapping her arms around her bent knees, as she leaned back against the rock.

"Sakumo-sensei told me what happened. I was worried about you since I hadn't seen you around, so I asked him."

"Yeah."

"I'm really sorry, Kushina. I didn't realize."

'Of course you didn't,' Kushina thought, 'you have your husband and your older son, and your younger one will join you eventually… of course you didn't even begin to comprehend that it was actually possible, to be separated even after death…'

"This isn't how it's supposed to be," Mikoto murmured, placing an arm around Kushina's shoulders, "Heaven, the afterlife - it's supposed to be the one good and sacred place there is, after life being so hard…"

Kushina didn't begrudge Mikoto for a happy afterlife. She knew for a fact that her own life on earth had been far happier than Mikoto's. She hadn't had to worry about clan politics and coup d'états, she wasn't betrayed and murdered by her own son.

After Mikoto had filled her in about everything a few days ago, Kushina had realized that she herself had led an extremely good life with Minato. They had experienced their fair share of hardships and battles, and the Kyuubi had been troublesome at times, but it was nothing that being with Minato couldn't solve. And they had died together, protecting their son.

It was a much better way to go, even if Mikoto said Itachi had been forced to do what he did.

But still, Kushina would have rather lived a terrible life on earth, if it meant she could spend the rest of eternity with her soulmate.

"Kushina," Mikoto said suddenly, "I think you should speak with my son."

"Itachi-kun?" Kushina raised an eyebrow.

"He is familiar with summonings and supernatural beings of a sort," Mikoto said, "I told him what was going on, and I don't want to get your hopes up, but he may have a few ideas."

"Where is he?"

"At the compound, sparring with his cousin."

In less than a second, Kushina had leapt off the mountain and was speeding towards the Uchiha Compound.

:::::

She stopped abruptly in front of a large courtyard, Mikoto catching up to her, gasping for breath.

Two young men were engaged in a taijutsu battle, flying through katas so fast that they were nothing but two black blurs.

"Itachi! Shisui!" Mikoto called, and the two shinobi broke apart, landing gracefully on either side of the courtyard.

Kushina studied them, recognizing Itachi at once. She had already seen him from afar, but this close, his resemblance to Mikoto was hard to miss.

He had the same flawless skin, elegantly arched eyebrows, straight nose and beautiful dark eyes. His cheekbones were more pronounced though, his long hair inky black and darker than Mikoto's, and he exuded a calm, powerful aura.

His sparring partner was as lean and muscled as Itachi, though an inch shorter, and he seemed a lot more hyperactive. The boy had shorter, spiky hair, slightly tanned skin, and there was something roguish about his expression, something which reminded Kushina painfully of Naruto.

"Mother," Itachi greeted, before turning to Kushina and bowing slightly, "Kushina-san. I thought I would meet you soon."

"Kushina, you know Itachi," Mikoto smiled, before gesturing to the other shinobi, "His best friend, Shisui."

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am," Shisui grinned, before thumping Itachi on the shoulder, "I'll see you around, Itachi."

"Hn," the Uchiha prodigy nodded.

"You've grown so much, Itachi-kun," Kushina noted, "When I last saw you, you didn't even reach my waist."

Mikoto giggled, and Itachi gave a small smile.

"Your mother has filled me in on all the incredible things you've done. You've made Konoha proud."

"My mother tends to exaggerate my abilities," Itachi said modestly, his lips quirking, "But thank you, Kushina-san."

"Nonsense," Kushina waved him off, "You ended Edo Tensei, for one thing, and that is no small feat."

"Is there something you wanted to discuss, Kushina-san?" Itachi asked politely.

Kushina twisted a lock of hair around her finger, mimicking something Minato used to do so often with her hair.

"Actually, Itachi-kun, there is."

:::::

Once Mikoto, Kushina and Itachi were seated inside on the tatami mats inside the Uchiha residence, Itachi began explaining his theory.

"I spoke to Jiraiya-sama, after mother told me what happened," Itachi said, "And I thought about it – what you want to do, essentially, Kushina-san, is destroy the Shinigami inside of which Minato-sama is sealed, is that right?"

"That's right," Kushina said, "But I've been through all the scrolls there are, nowhere is there anything about how to defeat the God of Death. Mito-obaa-san and Jiraiya-sensei were at a loss as well. The most I can hope to do is master the Spirit Control jutsu and go down to earth and have Naruto summon the Shinigami, but what use would that be if there is no way to get Minato's soul out? How can we defeat a God?"

"It may be possible, Kushina-san," Itachi paused for a moment, "Because the Shinigami is not actually a God."

Kushina nearly dropped the cup of tea she was holding.

"Whatever do you mean?! Minato summoned him, he's the God of Death! He's from the Underworld, and everyone refers to him as such."

"Kushina-san, I have a technique, Susano'o, which allows me to summon a celestial being to protect me," Itachi stated, "He is equipped with weapons that allow me to seal souls within him, and only I, the summoner, am capable of summoning him. In fact, I had used him to seal Orochimaru's soul from my little brother."

"You – you can summon –" Kushina gaped, "By a celestial being, do you mean-"

"Susano'o can be considered as much of a God as the Shinigami, Kushina-san," Itachi said, "In the shinobi world, the word 'God', I believe, is used rather loosely, to refer to any extremely powerful being with supernatural powers. Susano'o is often called a God, as is the Rikkudo Sennin. Even Pein-sama, during his lifetime, was considered a God. I don't believe that any of these beings are actual Gods, Kushina-san, because it would be impossible for mere humans to summon a true God. They are just beings of great power and chakra levels, with supernatural or celestial origins, and they have been elevated to the status of God because of that."

Kushina was silent for a few moments, allowing what Itachi said to sink in.

"So you mean – they can be defeated?" she finally asked slowly.

"My Susano'o is called an ultimate defense because it is nearly impossible for any shinobi to break through it, no matter how much they try," Itachi explained, "But with the right amount of power – with unprecedented chakra levels – any defense can be broken – and any 'God' can be defeated. The bijuu are as much of 'Gods' as any celestial being, Kushina-san, and if you and Minato-kun could restrain the Kyuubi, I do not think it would be impossible to –"

"To destroy the Shinigami?" Kushina asked, her eyes widening.

"You could destroy it, I think," Itachi said carefully, "But only for a small period of time. My Susano'o can be overcome, but can eventually be recalled, once it has had sufficient time to – heal itself? To reform? I am not familiar with the exact workings of supernatural beings – but Kushina-san, I think it's possible – that if the Shinigami could temporarily be overcome, _while _it was chained to the Earth by a summoning – then perhaps, in that time frame, it would be possible for Minato-sama's soul, and the other souls, to escape."

Kushina's breath caught in her throat as she replayed Itachi's words in her head, hope swelling within her.

Then suddenly, she stood up, walked over, and embraced the young Uchiha tightly. Itachi was surprised, and stiffened slightly, and Kushina quickly let go.

"Mikoto," she almost choked, "This boy – you're lucky to have him."

Mikoto smiled graciously.

"I know."

"We will find a way, Kushina-san," Itachi looked at her earnestly, his dark eyes soft, "I have some theories, and I'm willing to help you as much as I can."

"Itachi-kun," Kushina bit her lip.

"Minato-sama was always an inspiration to me," Itachi went on, "He passed away when I was young, but – I always looked up to him, of all the Hokage. The leaders of our beloved village are trapped within the Shinigami, and as shinobi, we would be nothing without them. It's our duty to save them, Kushina-san. Not just your husband, but the Shodai, the Nidaime, the Sandaime – all of them."

"You're right," Kushina nodded, her eyes steely, "It's wrong to just let them stay there, though I'm sure, knowing Minato, he's probably already halfway figured out a way to escape. But we can't just wait and do nothing until they do."

"I'm sure he has, Kushina, and he has the three best shinobi of all time with him," Mikoto assured her, "I'm sure they're trying to escape."

"I'm going to talk to Mito-obaa-san," Kushina decided, "Tell her to call a meeting. The best of the best shinobi are among us, and I'm pretty sure with Naruto's help, we can take on one measly demon from Hell!"

Her passion was back, and her eyes were shining with determination.

Mikoto patted her shoulder, relieved to see some of the old Kushina resurface. There was life in her eyes now, life, and fierce, burning determination.

She was no longer the miserable, grief-stricken, broken woman, but rather the strong kunoichi she had always been when she had been alive.

"Besides, what chance a Shinigami stand," Mikoto locked eyes with her friend, her tone teasing, "Against the queen of all demons, the Bloody Habanero herself?"

Kushina bared her teeth in a grin.

"Damn right, 'ttebane."

:::::

'_Let me down,' Kushina grumped, batting her hands at her savior, 'I don't always need you to come and rescue me!'_

_'Maybe you don't,' Minato agreed, though his eyes were sparkling, 'But I can't help it.'_

_'They were freaking Chuunin, Minato!' Kushina rolled her eyes. 'I was capable of escaping their stupid trap, I had a plan!'_

_'I knew that,' Minato admitted, 'I guess I just wanted an excuse to do this… haven't really gotten a chance to hold you like this since I rescued you three years ago from those Kumo nin…'_

_Kushina flushed, but lay her head against his chest and stopped struggling._

_'You're such a sap,' she muttered, 'Big damn hero.'_

_ 'So you'll let me carry you to Konoha?' he entreated, giving her a dazzling, flutter-inducing grin._

_'Maybe till the forest boundary,' Kushina relented, 'Then you have to put me down.'_

_Minato beamed, pressing a kiss to her head as he flitted over the treetops._

_'Okay.'_

_'Just you wait, Minato,' she told him, 'One day I'm going to swoop in and save your ass.'_

_'Alright, Kushina,' he agreed, and though his tone wasn't patronizing, she could tell he was laughing._

_'I'm serious!'_

"I'm coming now, Minato," Kushina said aloud as she leapt over a roof on the way to the Hokage Tower, "I'll rescue your soul from that Shinigami you were stupid enough to seal it in!"

:::::

"Rescue father? And the other Hokage?" Asuma Sarutobi stood up, slamming his cigarette onto the wooden table, "Count me in, I'll do whatever it takes."

Many of the other assembled shinobi murmured their agreement.

Kushina had convinced Mito to call a meeting, for all the Jounin-level and above shinobi, where she, Jiraiya and Itachi had explained their purpose.

"I am helping Kushina-san with Spirit Control," Dan spoke up, "So that she can get someone on Earth to summon the Shinigami. Though Itachi-san has explained that it _is _possible to destroy the Death God, I still do not understand how we would achieve such a feat. It would require massive amounts of chakra-power, more than we could possibly assimilate. For defeating a celestial or demonic being, you'd need something as strong as a-"

"As a tailed beast!" Kushina cried, realization hitting her suddenly, "Minato didn't seal the entire Kyuubi inside the Shinigami, he said it would be physically impossible! He sealed only half the chakra, the Yin chakra, and at first I thought he meant because _he _would be physically capable of sealing it – but perhaps-"

"Humans are capable of sealing entire beasts," Sakumo affirmed, "It has been done."

"Perhaps what he meant," Jiraiya said, catching on, "Was that with the Shinigami would not take in the entire Kyuubi chakra. Because even if it's a demon, it must have a limit to how much chakra it can consume."

"How can that be?" Asuma asked, "If you can seal a tailed beast's entire chakra into a human being, why not into the Shinigami?"

"The Shinigami isn't like normal human beings," Dan explained, "It's a celestial being, and though it is infinitely more powerful in many ways, it is a being that is not accustomed to having vast amounts of chakra stored in it, unlike shinobi, who rely on chakra to live and fight. I am not completely positive, but in all likelihood, there is a limit to the volume of chakra that can be sealed within it."

"Minato would know better," Jiraiya nodded, "That boy was more than capable of sealing an entire beast. Besides, the Demon now has four Kages, bunch of Kyuubi chakra and Orochimaru's arms stuff in it. I'm sure it's near it's limit."

"So hypothetically, if we were able to seal a tailed beast – or, more specifically, the other half of the Kyuubi chakra inside the Shinigami," Asuma theorized, "Would it be fair to say that the Shinigami would, unable to hold up against that much chakra, dissipate, in a sense?"

"I do not think we can separate the Kyuubi chakra from Naruto-kun any longer," Itachi said, "I have seen his new form. The Kyuubi chakra is now entwined to closely with his own being, with his own chakra. Trying to separate them would be too risky and is not an option."

"Kushina," Jiraiya muttered, taking out a notebook and scribbling on it," You said Minato sealed only half the Kyuubi chakra – the Yin half?"

"Yes," Kushina confirmed.

"Well, as competent shinobi, I think we all know one of the basic lessons about chakra manipulation," Jiraiya said, tapping a diagram he'd scrawled in his notebook, "Ninjutsu or any form of nature manipulation requires the user to draw on both Yin and Yang chakra. The Sage of Six Paths himself, created the Tailed Beasts from the mix of the two chakras. Yang release refers to physical energy, and Yin release to spiritual energy and the manipulation of the intangible. Taijutsu employs only Yang energy, and Genjutsu utilizes Yin release. However, when the two are combined, ninjutsu – which combines elemental manipulation with brute force, can be released."

"So you're saying," Itachi narrowed his eyes a fraction in understanding, "That if we were to somehow seal a large amount of Yang chakra into the Shinigami, there is a possibility that it would react with enough force to destroy the demon from the inside?"

"But what about Minato!" Kushina cried, "That makes sense, but won't it destroy him? And the other Hokage?"

"It's only Minato's soul that we need, Kushina," Jiraiya said, "And a soul cannot be destroyed by any amount of chakra. The worst that could happen is the resulting jutsu, or actually more of a chakra bomb, which forms, would destroy all of his sealed chakra. But it would not actually destroy his soul."

"But without chakra, wouldn't he be destroyed?" Kushina asked.

"He would if he were alive," Jiraiya said, "But since he is already dead, theoretically, his soul would just be free to return to this world."

"Besides, if the chakra bomb functions anything like a tailed beat bomb, which I'm guessing it would," Mito said, "It would take time to form fully and explode. Minato-kun is in there with the three most powerful shinobi of all time. I'm sure they would realize what was happening, and find a way to either manipulate the chakra, or ensure the safety of their own."

"So let's do it!" Kushina exclaimed, jumping up, "If all we need is Yang chakra – let's get it!"

"Kushina," Sakumo said sadly, "Only one of the remaining tailed beasts would possess enough Yang chakra to account for the Kyuubi's, and it is impossible for us to harvest their chakra, being that they are on earth, and even if you master the Spirit Release, you cannot hope to achieve a feat like that. The amounts of chakra that would be needed for this theoretical 'bomb' are vast, and there are no Bijuu in this world."

"The masked man fighting the war, Tobi, he has amassed mostly all of the tailed beast chakra," Itachi cut in, "If Naruto-kun and the others win the war, they could possibly come in possession of that."

"Exactly! And then Naruto can summon the Shinigami!" Kushina concluded.

"Naruto is still busy fighting a war whose outcome remains unknown to us," Sakumo contested, "Even if the masked man and his allies are defeated, we do not know what will happen to the demon chakra once the war ends, whenever that will be. It could very well disperse, destroying all the Bijuu in the first place, and we cannot intervene in the war. We do not possess the abilities, and even if we did, it would be wrong for us to meddle with the destinies of the living in such an intrusive manner, even if our intentions are noble."

"I'm not going to stand for this, sensei!" Kushina cried out, trembling, "You're all saying that there _is _a way to free Minato and all the others from the Shinigami, but its not possible because we lack the chakra! The chakra?! We're shinobi, damnit! There has to be a way!"

"Kushina," Sakumo said placatingly, "We will endeavor to find a way, but you must understand that the amount of chakra required is too great-"

"I don't understand, and I refuse to!" Kushina declared passionately, "You need Yang chakra? Well if it's a matter of chakra, then take mine! Take all of it! I know it's not close to enough, but you can take it anyways! I don't need it!"

"Kushina, you realize that giving up your chakra would mean that you would never be able to perform any kind of ninjutsu-"

"I don't care!" Kushina clenched her fists, "Even if I have to give up being a shinobi. We're in Heaven now anyways, there is nothing to defend from, no enemy soldiers to fight! Civilians live without ninjutsu, so if saving Minato means I have to give up my chakra and live the rest of my afterlife as a civilian, so be it! I'm ready to sacrifice that a hundred times over for him!"

"Even though you have large reserve, Kushina, your chakra is nowhere _near _enough to-"

"Take mine," Asuma said immediately, "It's not much, but it's something, and we have enough shinobi in this place. I would be honored to give up all my chakra if it meant that my father, and the founders and saviors of this village could come back and join us here."

"Mine too," Jiraiya grunted, "I need Old Man back here so I can bitch at him about letting the bastard run off and start this mess. And Minato – I couldn't save him once, but I'm sure as hell going to help save him this time. I call myself the boy's sensei, but what kind of a failed sensei would I be if I couldn't even bring him to Heaven?"

"My chakra as well," Mito added, her hazel eyes bright, "For what seems like eternities I have tried to think of a way to bring Hashirama back – this is all I've wanted ever since he was summoned away – if there's even the smallest possibility that we can do something – I'm willing to give up whatever I have to."

"Then I'll give up my chakra as well," Sakumo said gruffly, "Minato taught my son, he was an excellent teacher, leader, and father-figure to Kakashi. The Shodai, the Nidai, the Sandaime as well… my dream was always to serve the village, and maybe I broke the rules once and failed, maybe I gave up at one point… but if anything, this is the time to make amends for that. Besides, I was demoted from the duty of an active shinobi when I lived on earth, so I already know what is like to live without that title."

"I also volunteer," Itachi murmured, "I have lived over half of my life as a missing-nin, and I know that a shinobi is nothing without his home, without his village. I would never wish this fate on anyone, least of all one of our revered Hokage."

There were more voices, as several more shinobi stood up, pledging their chakra to save their Hokage.

Shisui, Iruka Umino's parents, all the shinobi of the Senju clan, and most of those present from the Hyuuga, Yamanaka, Nara, Akimichi, Inuzuka and Aburame clans.

Every shinobi, a talented ninja in their own right, stood up, willing to give up their chakra, their way of life – if it meant that they could save their Hokage.

Kushina felt tears leap to her eyes, and her heart clenched painfully as she imagined the expression on Minato's face, if he saw the sacrifices his shinobi were willing to make for him.

_"To forsake one's nation, and one's village, is the same as forsaking one's child," Minato said firmly, his eyes bright with earnest, "Your own homeland was destroyed, so you of all people should know… the harsh life that awaits those without a country. Besides, our family is… shinobi!"_

"Well, Minato," Kushina muttered to herself, "You were right. They are all willing to give up everything for you, your shinobi family. They're willing to give back for your sacrifice. If only you didn't have to sacrifice yourself in such a noble way. I don't know if what we do will be close to enough…"

:::::

_A/N: Well, that's that. I'm sorry this chapter was a bit slow in terms of action. It was more pedantic really, because I had to explain a lot of confusing concepts about Heaven and souls and the Shinigami and astral projection and whatnot. __I apologize if all the material was confusing or just plain boring, but I promise the next chapter onwards it'll get a lot faster in terms of pace. There will also be more MinaKushi moments!_

___Moreover, if some of you are wondering how Dan's soul got back to Heaven despite him having sealed his chakra into Tsunade's Yin Seal - well, let's just say it's because his soul was already 'bound' to Heaven, since it had gone there after his death. The only reason he was on earth was Edo Tensei, and so even though he sealed his chakra, that was later, after his soul had already been to Heaven and crossed the 'boundary', so he couldn't stay, and nor is he capable of going down and communicating with Tsunade like Kushina did when her chakra had been in Naruto - because Kushina's soul had never actually gone up to Heaven before, whereas Dan's had. Does that make sense? I just had to address that little point.  
_

_I really hope you guys understood everything, and if you have any doubts or questions, please feel free to leave them in a review or PM, I'll be more than happy to answer them!_

_I included a lot more Itachi, as many people requested him, and he is my all-time favorite character. I can see him being badass and solving things, even from Heaven :)  
_

_Please read and review, my lovelies! The next chapter should be up soon. I want to get it up by Wednesday, because I have a feeling the next manga chapter (or the one after) will pretty much screw over some of my plans for Chapter 4, and irrevocably un-canon-ize some of the scenes I've written :(  
_


	5. Spirit Control

_Disclaimer: All disclaimers of previous chapters apply._

_Author's Note: Well here we are! Special thanks to **Imaginarivalued, clandestineheart, InARealPickle, UnderTheSakuraBlossoms, KiyumiArashi, Serene Grace **and** Maelynae **for your kind words! =) _

_My chibi plushie Minato (YES I HAVE A CHIBI PLUSHIE MINATO!) glomps you all.  
_

:::::

**Saving Minato's Soul**

:::::

**Spirit Control**

:::::

Kushina screwed her eyes shut, focusing all her chakra into that one throbbing center of her being, the place where Dan said lay the very essence of the soul.

Her fingers wove through the seals, and when she had achieved the desired state of concentration, she sucked in a breath.

"Spirit Control: Release!" she cried.

Her stomach tumbled and Kushina felt all the breath leave her lungs as the ground disappeared beneath her feet. Her head pounded, as her soul was propelled an immeasurable distance downwards, transcending through dimensions until she had reached the white space.

"Come on, come on," Kushina muttered, focusing on her chakra.

Her chakra levels were steadily dropping, but she still had about three-fourths of it left.

And then she hit the barrier, the imaginary barrier between Heaven and earth.

She felt an inexorable squeezing, and her chakra was drained at an alarming rate. This was always where she lost out.

"No, no, come on," Kushina urged, "You can do it."

She pictured bright blue eyes and a sunny smile, beckoning to her, nodding to her encouragingly

_'Come on, Kushina,' Minato nodded, extending his hand, 'Take my hand – come one – one more time – you can do this.'_

_He smiled, the beautiful smile that lit up her world, and his fingers wrapped around her own._

"Aaah!" Kushina shouted as she was ejected forward, and then she opened her eyes again, adjusting them to the light.

Blue skies, clouds, and an endless sea of green below.

She was floating, above it all, though her head was spinning and she felt dizzy.

She didn't have much chakra.

But she was conscious – she was floating, and she was on earth, and she was conscious.

"Minato," Kushina whispered, "I did it!"

She swooped down, somehow knowing intuitively where to go, and moments later, the destroyed ruins of a battlefield came into view.

Kushina's head was hammering, and her vision blurred as her chakra dropped further. She barely had any left.

"Just – a bit – more," she flew ahead, soaring over the fighting shinobi.

Their angry shouts, the clash of metal, and the sound of various jutsu assaulted her ears, and a few times, a stray shuriken or kunai whizzed past her.

Kushina pushed forward through, over the sea of fighting shinobi until she reached a part of the ground further away, amidst shattered rocks and large craters.

She spotted three small figures below her – a cloaked, masked man standing in front of what looked like an enormous and grotesquely shaped statue, a black-haired shinobi and another man with an extremely familiar mop of silver hair.

"Kakashi," Kushina gasped, feeling the breath leave her.

Her head began to spin, and she started to feel the magnetic upward pull, as her soul was forced to go back to the realm where it began.

And then she saw him – just for a few seconds – bathed in bright yellow chakra, his form unmistakable.

He moved like lightning, flashes of yellow streaking across the battlefield.

It was an endearingly familiar sight.

"Naruto!" Kushina cried, and then a moment later, everything went black and she felt herself being dragged upwards, away from her son.

:::::

Kushina's eyes fluttered open, and she found herself staring at a canopy of leaves. She struggled to sit up, and a man's hand was on her shoulders, steadying her.

"Kushina," Dan was staring at her, "I – I shouldn't have doubted you. You held that technique out for longer than I would have thought possible."

"It – it wasn't enough," Kushina said, breathing in deeply, "I saw him though – I saw Naruto –"

"You managed to reach Naruto?" Dan raised an eyebrow, looking impressed, "That's more than I've ever done. I could only float around for a couple seconds above the clouds, only barely conscious, until I was pulled back up."

"No, I could move," Kushina said, "It was like – I was flying. And I saw the war, I think I saw the Masked Man they speak of, I saw Kakashi-kun – and I saw Naruto. I didn't have time to speak to him though… It pulled me back."

She cursed, hitting the ground with her fist.

"I just needed a little more time! I was almost there!"

"You've already come a long way, Kushina," Dan said, "I never thought I would say this but – in time – I think you'll manage. You've by far surpassed me, in my own technique. Till you perfect it though, I am more than happy to supervise."

Kushina looked at him gratefully, and nodded.

"Thank you, Dan-san – for everything."

:::::

"Kushina," Jiraiya sought her out as she made her way back to the center of the village.

More shinobi had filtered through the gates, victims of the war on Earth who had come at last to rest in peace.

"Jiraiya-sensei," Kushina greeted him, "Guess what? I saw Naruto! On earth, using Spirit Control, I found him!"

"That – that's incredible," Jiraiya looked shocked, "How is he doing? Is he alright?"

"He was fighting that Masked Man, if I'm not mistaken," Kushina said grimly, "He was in his Tailed Beast Form. I called out to him, but he couldn't hear me, and I was pulled back before I could do anything else. But he's going to be okay, sensei, I could see it. Kakashi-kun was with him too."

Jiraiya ran a hand through his shaggy white mane, looking pensive.

"Naruto was never as polite or attentive, or even as quick to learn as Minato," he said, "But that boy always had an insane amount of determination, and energy, and talent. He's a lot like you, that way, Kushina. He's truly yours and Minato's son. I always knew that you and Minato were a perfect match for each other, and Naruto – Naruto is just proof of that."

Kushina broke into a smile, her first genuine smile in a long time, though it was bittersweet, and tinged with sadness.

"Thank you, sensei."

'See Minato? Look at what a beautiful child we created.'

_Fingers glided over her cheeks, lips pressing against her forehead._

_'Thank you, Kushina. For making me this boy's father.'_

:::::

Kushina and Jiraiya walked towards the Hokage Tower, discussing the latest developments.

"You won't be able to give up your chakra, young lady, until after you manage to speak with Naruto," Jiraiya pointed out, "You need it for you Spirit Control."

"I know that," Kushina groused, "I'm trying as hard as I can to get that technique right! It's just so hard."

"You're progressing quickly," Jiraiya patted her head, "You'll do well. How was Kakashi?"

"He seemed well, he was fighting with Naruto."

"You told me. Sakumo will want to know."

"I'll speak to sensei," Kushina nodded, "How much chakra do we have?"

"Well, Mito-sama hasn't started the extractions," Jiraiya said, "That will have to wait until after you speak to Naruto, which itself will have to be after the war ends. But we've had over hundreds of volunteers sign up. Obito and Rin came by yesterday. It seems the word has spread to the Chuunin as well, and they demanded that we take their chakra."

"Minato was their sensei," Kushina nodded, "They would."

"They were asking for you," Jiraiya said, "You should see them."

"I will," Kushina nodded again, before stopping and turning to Jiraiya.

"What is it?"

"Jiraiya-sensei, I'm trying _hard, _and I'm hoping for the best," Kushina said, her voice breaking suddenly as tears sparkled in her eyes, "But will it work? What guarantee do we have? Will we actually succeed in freeing Minato? Nobody's ever tried going up against a Shinigami, nobody's tried to plant a bomb in its stomach! How do we know our method will even work? I'm scared to hope now, because I can't have my heart broken again, but I can't live here without him, knowing that he's suffering and he's as alone as I am, I can't!"

"We don't know if it will work," Jiraiya said grimly, "We don't have a guarantee. The worst thing that can happen is that everyone will lose out on their chakra for nothing. But Minato put a lot on the line for this village and these shinobi, as did the other Hokage. They faced situations and battles that seemed more impossible than this one."

"Jiraiya-sensei, failure is not an option," Kushina cried, "This isn't a matter of life and death, it's something more, something much more permanent."

"We won't fail, Kushina," Jiraiya said, though he sounded like he was trying to convince himself, "Nobody ever thought it was possible to make trees out of nothing, to transport a tailed beast into another dimension – but the Shodai Hokage, Minato – they did these impossible things. We're going to tear open that Shinigami's stomach one way or another, Kushina. For the Shodai, the Nidaime, for my sensei, and for Minato. We have to."

Kushina nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat, and wiped her tears away.

"So how much more chakra do we need?"

"Mito-sama has estimated that we have a little more than half the amount we need, but a lot of able shinobi are still coming up from the war on Earth. Also, envoys have been sent to the other villages. Since we're in Heaven now, I think it's safe to assume that everyone is our ally."

"Other villages?" Kushina raised an eyebrow, "You don't mean-"

"This is a place for all the shinobi and civilians alike. I'm sure they've grouped together and rebuilt their villages up here. We've only had contact with Uzushio so far, and they've agreed to help, but-"

"Wait," Kushina stopped in her tracks, "_Uzushio?"_

"They rebuilt it, Kushina," Jiraiya said simply, "What did you expect?"

Kushina breathed in sharply, as memories rolled through her mind.

"My village – my parents – it's all –" she couldn't believe it.

"It is, and I'm surprised you didn't ask about this before," Jiraiya told her, "I thought you already knew and were just choosing to stay here for Minato-"

"I didn't realize!" Kushina shrieked, "My parents! My family! Mito-obaa-san didn't tell me!"

"I think she tried, but you were too distressed to listen," Jiraiya said.

"That's – can I go there?" Kushina asked, "Can I go back to Whirlpool?"

"You can do whatever you wish," Jiraiya said, "I don't think your parents know that you've come back. They came for you when you died, and waited in the middle-space for weeks, but they didn't know that you'd stayed back because your chakra was sealed in Naruto. That's why they've gone back, and haven't come for you yet."

"How long would it take me? To reach Uzushio?" Kushina asked.

"The same amount of time as it would have normally, a week or so," Jiraiya said, "Just because this is Heaven it doesn't mean that we can defy all the laws of physics."

"Oh," Kushina muttered, "Then I – I'll go visit them once Minato's here. They haven't met him yet."

"Kushina-"

"They'll love him, I know they will," Kushina said determinedly, "And Minato and I always wanted to visit Whirlpool – or whatever was left of it. Going to the village though, the actual Whirlpool village before it was destroyed – that'll be much better."

"Alright," Jiraiya nodded, "It sounds like a good plan."

_"I always wondered what it was like you know," Minato said._

_ "Whirlpool?" Kushina asked dreamily, looking up at him from where she was lying down next to him, her red hair sprawled out on the grass._

_He was on his stomach, his chin propped up in his hands, and he twirled a strand of hair around his index finger._

_"Mm. The Academy textbooks never seemed to do it justice."_

_"Oh, it's the most beautiful place in the world?" she gushed excitedly, her eyes shining._

_"Even more so than Konoha?" he quirked an eyebrow._

_"Well, maybe the same," she conceded, "Before it was destroyed at least... sometimes I wish I could go back, even if it is just a jumble of broken buildings… I just want to see…"_

_"Maybe when we're older, and they make us Jounin, and start sending us on solo missions," Minato suggested, "You can stop near there on your way back to Konoha or something."_

_"Yeah, that's a good idea," Kushina beamed at him, "You should come too! Then I can show it to you properly, or at least whatever's left of it!"_

_He blushed, his eyes meeting hers._

_"I'd love to."_

:::::

"How far are you progressing with your Spirit Control, Kushina?" Mito asked kindly.

"Dan-san said not to try it again for a few days, because the last attempt took quite a toll on my chakra," Kushina said, "It would have probably put me into a coma if I were alive, but right now it's just left me drained. I saw Naruto though!"

"That's good news," Mito sounded impressed, "You'll be happy to know that many of the Uzushio shinobi have volunteered to donate their chakra, and they have pretty large reserves. We have about ninety percent of what is required on paper, we just have to wait for the war to end to start the extraction process."

"Uzushio," Kushina's eyes lit up, "Mito-obaa-san, my parents-"

"Your parents volunteered as well, when they found out," Mito said, "They were well aware that Minato was your husband on earth, and Hashirama and Tobirama were close friends of the Uzumaki clan."

"Do they know I'm back?"

"I haven't told them, Kushina," Mito said, "You are free to visit when you wish, but I'm guessing you're waiting for awhile?"

"I'll have all the time in the world once – once we do this," Kushina said, "Right now, I just need to focus on getting the jutsu right."

:::::

One evening, Kushina decided to seek out Minato's former students, Obito and Rin. She had a fair idea where she might find them, and made her way across the familiar path.

_Her hand slipped through his, but his fingers were devoid of his usual warmth. She placed her fingers on his cheek and turned his face to hers._

_His expression was heart-wrenching, and his eyes were shining with tears._

_"It's not your fault," she told him fiercely, "You did what you had to and you couldn't have known!"_

_He didn't say anything, but a tear spilled out of his eye._

_"Minato!" she shook him, "You were miles away, and you had your own enemies to deal with. If you hadn't killed those Iwa nin they would have broken through all our defenses!"_

_"He was so young, Kushina," he bit out finally, his voice cracking, "And he was a gem of a person. He wasn't ready to go, not when-"_

_Kushina pulled his shaking form to her, and wrapped her arms tightly around him._

_She held him as he mourned, and it was the first time she had seen him cry. _

_He was usually so strong, so cheerful, so optimistic – and it broke her heart. _

_The thunderclouds above exploded, showering them with rain, and it seemed like even the Heavens were mourning the death of an innocent, wonderful boy who was never supposed to die._

_His tears soaked her shirt, mixing with the rainwater._

_"He wasn't – supposed – to die –"_

_"Shh, its okay, Minato," she soothed him as best as she could, rubbing his back, "It's okay."_

_He pulled away from her, his eyes still red, and his hands found hers again, as they made their way to the memorial._

_They found two familiar figures there, leaning before the large rock, heedless to the rain._

_A young girl with short brown hair, sobbing quietly into the arms of a silver-haired boy with a somber face, one of his eyes obscured by bandages._

_Minato seemed to break down again, at the sight of his forlorn, distraught students, his forever incomplete team, and Kushina just held his hand tightly, squeezing._

_"It's going to be alright, Minato. It's going to be alright."_

:::::

Kushina stopped in front of the memorial rock.

Except in Heaven, it wasn't a memorial rock anymore, just a large slab of polished obsidian shaped like a kunai. Instead of the names of shinobi that had fallen in battle, it had the Konohagakure insignia etched onto it.

Sitting in the grass in front of the stone were two young shinobi, appearing to be in their late teens. The girl had short brown hair and purple marks on her cheeks, and the boy, though he was taller and leaner than Kushina ever remembered him being, had jet black hair, and was dressed in a dark blue orange tracksuit with orange accents.

He'd discarded the orange goggles.

Rin had died at 16, a few years after Obito, but Kushina guessed that they had decided to be late teens in this world, the same age.

"Obito," she called softly, "Rin."

The pair looked up, identical smiles breaking across their faces.

"Kushina-san!" Rin jumped up and hugged her, "It's so good to see you!"

"Rin," Kushina looked her over warmly, "You look lovely."

"How do I look, Kushina-san?" Obito asked, grinning.

Kushina noticed that he had both eyes.

"You look very handsome, Obito," she told him indulgently, "I'm sure the ladies are going crazy after you."

"Heh," Obito flushed, rubbing the back of his head and looking immensely pleased with himself.

Rin gave a small smile.

"We tried looking for you, yesterday and the day before," she said, "But Sakumo-san said you were busy training."

"I was, I've been very busy," Kushina said apologetically, "I heard you two offered to donate chakra?"

"Hell yeah we did," Obito exclaimed, "Minato-sensei's the coolest shinobi in the world! Though he'll probably figure out a way to get out of that damn demon, I still want to help!"

"Thank you," Kushina murmured, "He'd be happy – to hear that."

_Especially from you, Obito._

"Kushina-san-" Rin hesitated, but then spoke up, "Sakumo-san said you told him when you went back to earth, you saw Kakashi-kun?"

"Oh, yeah," Obito's eyes widened, "How is that little bastard? Is he spamming my Sharingan in all his battles?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Kushina told him.

She hadn't actually _seen _exactly the techniques Kakashi had been using, but she had heard enough from Jiraiya and various other shinobi.

"Itachi told me he's awakened the Mangekyou," Obito looked at her, as if asking for confirmation.

"I've heard that rumor as well," Kushina admitted, "But if Itachi says so, he's probably right. They've fought before, I believe."

"I want to know how the _hell _he managed to awaken it when I was his best friend and I was already freaking dead," Obito demanded, "It makes no sense!"

"Obito, don't say things like that," Rin chastised him gently, "Besides, Itachi-kun said it awakens after the guilt of killing your best friend or something. Maybe he didn't really need to kill you, as long as he blamed himself for your death and felt guilty about it, and from what I saw of him, he definitely did."

Obito's expression softened at this, and he stared ahead thoughtfully.

"Anyways, I have to get going soon," Kushina said, "There's a big meeting tonight at the Hokage Tower. But one of these days, let's do dinner? Ramen?"

"Sounds great, Kushina-san," Rin beamed at her.

It would be like old times.

Almost.

Except Kakashi would be missing, though he'd come up eventually.

But Minato…

_"You should join us, you know," Minato said, pausing at the doorway._

_"It's your team dinner," Kushina waved him off, "I don't want to intrude."_

_"You wouldn't be intruding, they all love you," Minato assured her, "You've known Kakashi since before I did, and Rin loves having female company. Obito adores you anyways. You should come!" _

_"Nope."_

_"But I want you there," he gazed at her entreatingly, taking her hand in his, "Please Kushina?"_

_She found it very hard to resist that look, and he knew that._

_"I'm busy," she muttered, "And anyways I'm not a part of Team Minato."_

_"Mm, but you were always a part of my team," he said, his thumb moving over her skin, "You were the first member of Team Minato!"_

_ "If you're referring to us," Kushina rolled her eyes, "I think you mean to say Team Kushina."_

_"Why is that?" he asked, his eyes twinkling as he grabbed her tunic and pulled her towards him._

_ "Because I wear the pants, Minato," she declared._

_"Do you now?" he raised an eyebrow, skeptical._

_"I do! And that's why you can't tell me what to do, 'ttebane! And that's why I'm not coming for a Team Minato dinn-mmph!"_

_She was cut off by his lips as he leaned down to kiss her._

_He pulled back a moment later, cocking his head._

_"Too bad, Kushina, Teuchi-san will miss his favorite customer."_

_He turned to leave._

_"Wait!" Kushina cried, "You – you're going for ramen?"_

_"Yep, and I'm getting late so I'll see you around-"_

_"I'm coming too!" Kushina grabbed his hand, "Besides, I hang out with your team so much I'm practically their second sensei!"_

_Minato grinned._

:::::

Kushina's eyes flickered over the familiar ramen bar as she made her way to the Hokage Tower.

She'd frequented it pretty often, but she was always alone.

There was no one to give her company, to watch with raised eyebrows as she guzzled down bowl after bowl, to question the capacity of her stomach and how she managed to stay thin considering how much she ate on a daily basis, to push her hair behind her ears so that it didn't fall into her noodles, to exasperatedly hand over his unfinished bowl to her so she could steal extras.

Even eating ramen made here depressed, because she was just reminded of how alone she was.

"Damnit Minato," she muttered, kicking a pebble on the ground, "You owe me dinner. Like a zillion of them."

_"Eat all you want, Kushina," he said, gazing at her fondly, "It's on me."_

:::::

"With the aid of our allies from Uzushio, we will soon essentially have sufficient Yang chakra, though extraction will have to wait until after the war," Mito announced to the gathered shinobi, "However, one problem still persists."

She nodded at Jiraiya, who cleared his throat.

"We all know it's impossible for our own souls, which are rooted here, to this heaven, to descend and go to Earth; barring Dan's jutsu, of course. However, the larger problem we currently face is this: even after we have extracted and collected the Yang chakra, we do not have a way of getting it out of this world, and down to earth. What would be required is some sort of space-time technique."

"But the only person who knew space-time jutsu was Minato!" Kushina cried, "It's the hardest technique to master!"

"Itachi-kun and I are going to attempt to figure it out," Jiraiya said, "With his Sharingan, we could manage to pull one off, though it would take a long time to perfect it."

"That's taking a risk though," Sakumo pointed out, "Especially with such vast amounts of chakra. One mistake and you could send it to another dimension where it could never be retrieved-"

"It's our only option," Jiraiya said grimly, "Unless you have another way."

Sakumo looked troubled, shaking his head.

"If only we had a shinobi among us who had mastered space-time," he muttered.

"Actually, father," a new voice cut in, "I think you do."

The entire room went silent, and Sakumo's dark eyes went wide as he stood up and turned around, in one fluid movement.

"Kakashi?!"

The silver-haired Jounin crouched on the windowsill brought two fingers to his head, saluting.

"Yo. Sorry I'm late, but I was fighting a psychotic evil man who was trying to take over the world. So what's new?"

:::::

_A/N: A few clarifications:_

_1) Kushina will meet her parents eventually, but that will probably not be covered in this story. And the reason she hasn't gone to see them immediately is because that would take a good week or two, and she has more pressing matters on hand, i.e., saving her husband from a demon. Heaven is eternal, so she can meet them whenever.  
_

_2) I know that when Itachi and Kakashi fought in part 1, Kakashi did not possess a Mangekyou, but he used it against Deidara in part 2, so that is how Itachi knows (Deidara must have reported the technique Kamui to Akatsuki, and Itachi being Itachi would have figured it out and then confirmed it eventually, because I'm sure the rumors spread)  
_

_3) Kushina spoke to Sakumo about what happened during Spirit Control, however that conversation hasn't been included in the chapter. Sakumo then told Obito and Rin (though he didn't know them on Earth, they introduced themselves to him as Kakashi's teammates in Heaven and thus were on good terms with him) and that's why they seem to be well updated with everything.  
_

_4) I know, I killed off Kakashi. I'm sorry. Hate on me if you want, but I do have my doubts about his survival rate, especially looking where the manga is going right now. He's badass and brilliant and I will bawl my lungs out and hate myself if Kishi kills him, but really, shouldn't he have exhausted his chakra by now? He's used Kamui how many times exactly?! But he was integral to the plot of this story, and I'm sure he's happier up in Heaven with his teammates.  
_

_Kishi being Kishi dragged the manga today. GOD I NEED TO KNOW WHO TOBITO/MASK IS! But I'm glad he didn't tell. Because if the Masked Man turned out to be Obito, my next chapter would be screwed up. Because it had some Kakashi/Obito interactions which I just sort of loved. But it's not confirmed in canon, so I will continue to go with the theory that the Masked dude is not Obito, but some other freak who has Obito's eyes - and also somehow knows about Obito/Kakashi's life story (hey, the guy knows everything, it's possible!) and is thus trying to psych out Kakashi by ambiguously hinting that he's Obito when he's not. So anyways, next chapter will be up before the next manga chapter releases, I promise! Even though there's a likelihood that Kishi will leave us grasping at this cliffy to switch over to Sasuke or the Kages, I don't want to take the risk! I'd rather release my chapter BEFORE parts of it (potentially) become officially non-canon._

_I know I said I'd do a name change, though I'm rethinking that. In any case, if my penname changes to something with 'Itachi' in it, don't be surprised. Just a head's up so you know it's me, if that ever happens.  
_

_That's all. My apologies for the lengthy author's note! As always, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Chibi!Plushie!Minato glompage for all who review! =)  
_


	6. Kamui

_Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All previous disclaimers apply._

_Author's Note: I know I promised this earlier, but I've been very busy packing. I leave for college tomorrow, so it may take awhile for the next update. I had to get this one up before the new Naruto chapter released, since all my Kakashi/Obito interactions will be rendered bullshit if - well - don't want to spoil, but you guys probably get the point.  
_

_Also, a warning: this chapter has manga spoilers up to the latest manga chapter. Please take note of that before you proceed.  
_

_A special thanks to **Kari-Kateora, Pecha Pichu, Imaginarivalued, dragonball256, InARealPickle, KiyumiArashi **and **Maelynae **for your pwnsome, youthful reviews.  
_

_This one's for you guys! Now on with the story...  
_

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**

**Saving Minato's Soul**

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**Kamui  
**

:::::

The silver-haired Jounin crouched on the windowsill brought two fingers to his head, saluting.

"Yo. Sorry I'm late, but I was fighting a psychotic evil man who was trying to take over the world. So what's new?"

There was a stunned silence in the room, and Sakumo Hatake slowly walked towards his son.

The two men embraced roughly, and Kushina, Jiraiya and Asuma stood up as well, to greet the new arrival.

"Asuma," Kakashi patted his fellow Jounin on the back, "It's a little overdue, but congratulations on Kurenai. And your child."

"Thank you," Asuma nodded.

"Kakashi-kun," Jiraiya ruffled his head, "It's about time you came. I'm nearly done with Icha Icha Heavenly Fun, and there's nobody up here who really likes reading such depraved stuff."

Kakashi's eyes gleamed, and he radiated glee from under his mask.

"That, Jiraiya-sama, would be excellent."

He turned to Kushina, but before she could say anything, Obito came barreling through the window, looking flustered.

"Kakashi, you baka, I told you not to – oh," his mouth opened slightly, surveying all the shinobi, "Oops."

Kakashi turned to Kushina.

"Obito tells me we're on a mission to rescue dear Minato-sensei?"

Kushina nodded numbly.

"Well, I'm here to help. Just tell me what to do."

"Kakashi," she said suddenly, "I know you were fighting with Naruto – how is he?"

Kakashi's eyes crinkled.

"He's loud and unpredictable but talented as hell, Kushina. He's like you. Of course he's fine. In fact, I'm pretty sure he and Gai are finishing off that masked moron right about now."

Though Kakashi didn't say anything, Kushina had a gut feeling that he was one of the reasons Naruto was still alive, fighting down there.

"Kakashi-kun… thank you."

He understood, and nodded.

"Madara? He's almost finished?" Itachi asked, sounding tense.

"Itachi," Kakashi greeted, "My fellow Sharingan-user. Your little brother caused my team much trauma, you know."

"To be fair, I did cause him a lot too," Itachi replied.

"That's true," Kakashi's grinned under his mask, "But Naruto seems dead-set to knock some sense into him, so you don't need to worry."

"Naruto-kun does seem very – determined," Itachi agreed, "I have faith in him."

"As do I," Kakashi said, "Sometimes that boy doesn't know when to stop talking. It's very effective on enemies, though. I think he got it from his mother."

Kushina hit Kakashi on the head, none too gently, though her lips curved upwards.

"The masked man is almost finished," Kakashi confirmed, "He can't last much longer after our last attacks hit him, though unfortunately I landed up here. However, in answer to your question, Itachi – I don't think he was Madara Uchiha."

"Then who?" Itachi's eyes widened fractionally, his way of expressing shock.

"To be honest, I thought it was this idiot for awhile," Kakashi admitted, nudging Obito.

"Hey!" Obito yelled, affronted, "How could you think that?! When was I ever an evil, mass-murdering psychopath?!"

"He had your other eye and he seemed to know me personally," Kakashi shrugged, "But I figured it wasn't you, he was too powerful-"

"You asshole!" Obito growled, "How did you even land up here?!"

"Whatever do you mean?" Kakashi sounded offended.

"I mean, you're still such a douchebag! This place is for nice, pure, humble people and you're totally breaking the rules of Heaven if you come here at start saying crap like that!"

"Well I couldn't abandon you, could I?"

"Huh?"

"Those who break the rules are trash," Kakashi recited, "But those who abandon their friends – they're worse than trash."

Obito's eyes widened, but moments later, his face broke out into a huge smile.

"That's a cool line, Kakashi. Where'd you get that from?"

"A very important friend of mine said it to me once," Kakashi said thoughtfully, "I don't remember his name, but he was an excellent shinobi."

"Alright boys, you two can catch up later," Sakumo interrupted, as Obito looked ready to hug his friend and burst into tears, "Kakashi, there's something you need to know."

"Is it about Mission: Rescue Minato-sensei?" Kakashi asked, "Obito filled me in on the jist of it, I'm ready to help, you can have my chakra too."

"We don't need your chakra," Sakumo said, "We need you to use a space-time technique. You implied you know one."

"I do actually. Kamui," Kakashi said, "With my left eye-"

"_My _left eye and you're welcome," Obito interrupted.

"I can use Kamui. It can transport objects and chakra from one dimension to another."

"Shit, really? My Sharingan can _do _that? That's sick," Obito was fascinated.

"That sounds perfect!" Kushina said, "That's _exactly _what we need."

."What exactly do you need it for?" Kakashi asked, "I heard you say something about transporting chakra down to earth and I-"

He trailed off, his visible dark eye softening, and there was a gasp near by the doorway.

"Kakashi-kun-" Rin stared at the new arrival in disbelief.

"Rin…" he murmured, and they locked gazes for a long moment.

And then Rin launched herself forward onto Kakashi, sobbing.

"Hey – hey – don't _cry _Rin," Kakashi's arms encircled the young girl, "It's not like I'm dead or anythi – oh, oops. I actually am. How ironic."

She pulled away from him and eyed him tearfully.

"I'm glad to have you back but – so soon? What did you do?!"

"Well, there was this crazy man with a mask who wanted to use the moon to take over the world and…" Kakashi broke off at Rin's confused look, slowly removing his hands from her waist, "Look, it's a long story. Why don't we discuss it over dinner? Me, you and Obito-baka."

He nodded at Obito, who scowled for a moment, before grinning again, shooting him a thumbs up.

"You're treating!" he crowed, and Kakashi rolled his eyes.

"Do they even make you pay in Heaven?"

"Just 'cause it's paradise doesn't mean it's cheap!"

"Why don't the three of you head off. You seem to have a lot of catching up to do," Sakumo said, eyeing his son and his team, "We can brief you on the mission details tomorrow."

"Oh, could we Sakumo-sensei?" Rin looked pleased, before she glanced at Kushina, who smiled.

"You guys deserve it. Go."

"Thank you!"

The three of them made to leave, Obito slinging an arm around Kakashi and jabbering away, Rin walking close on his other side.

Kakashi stopped suddenly, and turned to his father.

"I'll be home by ten?"

Sakumo's eyes crinkled.

"I'll be waiting, son."

And then the trio left, Team Minato, the students reunited.

But Kushina couldn't help but feel a pang, at the absence of their sensei. Undoubtedly the three of them would feel it too, but it would cut her more than any of them.

'Why couldn't you have died a normal death, damnit!' she thought to herself for the hundredth time, though she knew the answer, as always.

Still, seeing Team Minato's bittersweet reunion only made her long for the day when she would be reunited with her own love.

If that was even possible…

:::::

"So, what exactly are we doing here today?" Obito asked, rocking back and forth on his heels impatiently.

Kushina was wondering the same thing, as she looked around at the small group of shinobi that had congregated in the training ground.

Kakashi was perched on top of a log, reading a shockingly neon pink book and Rin was sitting on the grass below him, braiding together blades of grass.

Itachi was leaning by a tree and sharpening his kodachi, as his cousin Shisui juggled a pair of shuriken restlessly.

Sakumo sat by the lake, wearily eying his son's choice of literature, looking rather exasperated.

The man gestured at Kakashi and then looked almost pleadingly at Rin, who giggled.

"Obito and I have tried telling him, Sakumo-san, he doesn't listen," she said, referring to Kakashi's obsession.

"At least swap the covers, Kakashi, if you must read it in public," Sakumo grumbled.

"Nope," Kakashi flipped a page, "Jiraiya-sama gave me a free copy, the least I can do is advertise it for him."

"It was free because nobody reads that kind of trash up here!" Sakumo pointed out.

"Well I don't like taking favors from people if I can't repay them," his son shot back.

"_How _exactly did you repay me for my Sharingan?" Obito demanded.

"By mentoring your young relative Sasuke, and Naruto who was the non-Uchiha version of you," Kakashi replied shamelessly.

"Is that series any good?" Shisui suddenly asked, " I read some of his older novels, but judging fro the rumors I heard up here, this one seems a bit – risqué?"

"That's putting it delicately," Kushina snorted.

"The Icha Icha series is the _best _of Jiraiya-sama's works," Kakashi said reverently, "And this one tops them all."

"That's what she said," Obito sniggered quietly to himself, and Rin shot him a reprimanding look.

Kakashi just shook his head.

"Not quite the right context, but you're learning," he said, and Obito pouted.

"I am sure, Shisui-kun, that Jiraiya-sama would be more than happy to give you a signed copy of Icha Icha Heavenly Fun," Kakashi said, "I am also sure you would enjoy it."

"Would I?" Shisui looked a little unsure.

"You would," Kakashi said firmly, "The tagline is 'Fun so heavenly that a mortal would die of pleasure'."

"Oh, Kami-sama," Kushina smacked her forehead, "That sucks."

"That is why it could only be released in Heaven," Kakashi finished.

"That's what she said!" Obito cried excitedly.

"You're getting there," Kakashi gave him a thumbs up.

Shisui looked amused, Rin exasperated and Sakumo a little bit more than disturbed.

"Kakashi-san, if I may ask," Itachi spoke up, flipping his kodachi, "It was said that Sasuke was a lot like you. He inherited many of your characteristics from your teachings, such as your jutsu…"

Itachi trailed off, looking a little concerned as he arched an eyebrow.

Kakashi smiled behind his mask, understanding.

"Your brother was far too uptight to care about any of that, forget read it," Kakashi waved him off, "I did offer it to him – you know, as a stress-reliever – Kami knows the kid needed it – but he refused, most vehemently."

Itachi relaxed, looking satisfied.

"Good for Sasuke then," he nodded.

"Naruto on the other hand," Kakashi began, but trailed off at Kushina's deadly glare.

"You _did not_," she scowled at him, "Corrupt my _son_."

"Technically, it was Jiraiya-sensei," Kakashi waved his hands frantically, "Those years they went off training, that's when it all happened. I had nothing to do with it."

"Really?" Kushina asked, cracking her fists.

"I would _never _corrupt your son," Kakashi said solemnly.

"But you would, my brother?" Itachi narrowed his eyes.

"Sasuke always went on about how he wanted to restore his clan. I thought he should at least be educated about how the 'restoring' part was done," Kakashi said promptly, and Itachi rolled his eyes.

"I don't think that's quite what Sasuke meant."

"Then he really should have stopped proclaiming stuff like that. The fangirls were obsessed with him anyways, he was only adding fuel to the fire."

"Oh, he had fangirls, did he?" Shisui sniggered, "Just like his nii-san then."

Itachi kept his face neutral, as Shisui continued.

"Every single female in the village was crazy about him."

"That happened with Minato too, 'ttebane," Kushina said reminiscently, though she clenched her fists, "Stupid little harlots."

"I never particularly liked them either, Kushina-san," Itachi said consolingly.

_'I don't like them!' Kushina sulked, crossing her arms, 'They're loud and annoying and useless and they always – ALWAYS follow you around! Why can't you just tell them to piss off, 'ttebane?!'_

_'But that would actually require me speaking to them," Minato pointed out, "Something I'd rather avoid.'_

_'But I can't concentrate on this scroll with all their shrieking and screaming, 'ttebane! Do they really think they're being discrete, stalking you from behind the bushes like that?'_

_'Just block them out,' Minato told her._

_'How? They're so freaking loud,' Kushina made a face, before imitating them in a high-pitched voice, 'Oh, Minato-kun, he's just so handsome and so cute! I just want to marry him!'_

_'Don't you think it's a bit soon for marriage, Kushina-chan,' Minato teased, shooting her a heart-fluttering smile, 'Though for the record, I think you're pretty cute too.'_

_He was just teasing, but his words did wonderful and strange things to her insides._

_Kushina walloped him with her scroll, ignoring the enraged hissing that came from the bushes at this._

_'Just shut up, 'ttebane! You know that's not what I meant!' Kushina's cheeks flamed, 'They're annoying and loud and you really should be less – tolerant of them!'_

_'It's okay Kushina,' Minato said, laughing as he dodged her blows, 'You don't need to get jealous of my fangirls.'_

_Kushina gaped at him incredulously._

_'Did you just – I'm not – why would you – MINATO!'_

_'Yes?' he cocked his head at her and smiled charmingly, seemingly unaware of the impending explosion that would be incited by this remark._

_'I am –' Kushina took a deep breath, her hair whipping behind her as she glared at him, 'Not. Jealous. Of YOUR stupid fangirls. I never have been and never, ever will be!'_

_'Mm, of course not,' Minato indulged her, ruffling her hair, and she batted his hand away._

_'Okay, spar with me, right now!' Kushina demanded, 'I need to punch something, namely your pretty little face, and your stupid fangirls would probably enjoy the show anyways!'_

_'Actually, I have a much better idea,' Minato smirked at her, moving close._

_'What are you – oh,' Kushina gave a breathy little gasp as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him, pressing his lips gently against hers._

_Sobs, shrieks and sighs could be heard from the bushes, but Kushina didn't care this time, tightening her fingers in his golden hair as she kissed him back hungrily, and just a little bit possessively. _

:::::

Kushina was jerked out of her happy memory by the arrival of Jiraiya, a few minutes later.

"You!" Kushina immediately rounded on her husband's sensei, glowering at him.

"What?" Jiraiya asked warily, not oblivious to the ire that was emanating from the redhead.

"You. Corrupted. My. Son," Kushina seethed, "You made him read your disgusting smut!"

"It's not smut!" Jiraiya looked affronted, "It is highly tasteful, albeit a little bit depraved erotica. You should be proud of Naruto. He even _wrote _his own Icha Icha spin-off-"

"He _what_?!" Kushina screeched, and Jiraiya blanched, realizing a bit too late that it probably wasn't the best idea to tell the boy's mother of this particular fact.

"Hey, it stopped a potential war," Kakashi defended his favorite author, though he seemed to be enjoying the scene.

"Hence my theory that sex is the only foolproof way to stop a war," Jiraiya said sagely, "Mass copulation. It's the key to world peace."

"Wh-what?!" Kushina sputtered, much too shocked at Kakashi's proclamation to scream at Jiraiya for his.

"It was accidentally sent as a peace treaty to one of the daimyos and the daimyo enjoyed it so much that it stopped a minor war between Fang and Claw," Kakashi elucidated, to the amusement of all except Kushina.

"Which shinobi in their right mind would stick their kodachi into the body of an opposing kunoichi?" Jiraiya asked hypothetically, "When they could indeed, stick their 'kodachi' into the body of said kunoichi?"

He waggled his eyebrows at Itachi promptly sheathed his own kodachi, though a smile was pulling even at the stoic Uchiha's lips.

"That's what she said?" Obito tried, but Shisui shook his head this time.

"Jiraiya already implied it, that comment was redundant," he explained.

"I don't care if it was a peace treaty!" Kushina yelled, "You were supposed to teach him jutsu, not how to write porn!"

"I did teach him jutsu!" Jiraiya defended, "Kuchiyose, the Rasengan-"

"Which I helped him modify, Kushina-san," Kakashi added, eager to remain on the good side of a woman who was rapidly escalating to Bloody Habanero levels of wrath.

"Hey, I gave him an all-round education, and Kushina-chan, you know you want grandchildren," Jiraiya said, and Kushina deflated slightly.

"I didn't know an all-round education involved you making him henge into a naked girl," Kakashi said innocently, as Jiraiya desperately made slashing motions with his hands.

"…_excuse me?!" _Kushina almost choked, apparently unaware of her son's infamous sexy jutsu.

"I give you free material that will keep you happy for days and _this _is how you repay me?" Jiraiya hissed, glaring at Kakashi, before backing away from the advancing redhead.

"Uh – Kushina-chan – let me explain –"

:::::

Sakumo and Rin managed to restrain Kushina after she had near-finished raging at the legendary Sannin, who was now cowering behind a hysterically laughing Obito.

"Sexy no Jutsu to transform into a hot girl. That's brilliant!" Obito was chuckling to himself.

Dan, Asuma and Mito walked into the clearing, noticing the obvious tension in the air.

"You wait till Minato comes back," Kushina warned Jiraiya darkly, "He's going to _freak_. We _will _have our revenge on you, Jiraiya-sensei, for corrupting our son."

Itachi smiled to himself at the last bit, and the two released their hold on Kushina who stalked off to sit on one of the logs next to Kakashi's.

"Well, I suppose now that we're all gathered here, we should begin," Jiraiya said cautiously, glancing sideways at Kushina who stared back stonily, "We're testing moving the chakra, of course, through the dimensions. I'll extract a bit of my chakra, and Kakashi can try transporting it with Kamui."

"Kushina and I will use Spirit Control, to see if the chakra is successfully transported," Dan said, nodding at Kushina.

"Are you going to simply extract some chakra?" Mito asked, "It would have to be held together somehow to make transporting it more viable."

"Oh, I have a technique that will be useful for exactly that," Jiraiya grinned.

He drew out a sufficient amount of chakra, quickly spinning it into a Rasengan.

"Of course!" Kushina cried, recognizing the jutsu immediately, "Rasengan packs chakra together pretty tightly."

"Will this work?" Jiraiya asked Kakashi, who quickly activated his Mangekyou Sharingan and nodded.

"I've actually transported Naruto's Rasengan before. I can do it."

Itachi, Obito and Shisui activated their Sharingan as well, watching Kakashi carefully, and Kushina and Dan both closed their eyes, concentrating.

"Spirit Control: Release!" they yelled together.

Kushina felt the sudden lurching feeling as her soul was whipped forwards.

"Kamui!" she heard Kakashi shout, and then she barreled into the white space.

"Come on," Kushina urged herself, before she shot through the barrier.

And then she was there again, on earth, floating high above the green canopies and rugged mountains. She could see large blasts and explosions, miles away, near the place where the ocean met the land, and almost instinctively flew in that direction.

"Kushina – no," Dan panted, materializing next to her, though he looked a lot more exhausted than she felt, "Now's not – the time."

Kushina, though she desperately wanted to fly out and check on Naruto nodded. It was not the time, and there was nothing she could currently do to help her son.

They waited a few long moments, and Dan began struggling with himself, as his chakra reserves ran low.

"Where is it?" Kushina asked, whipping her head around as she flew under the clouds, looking for Jiraiya's Rasengan, "Kakashi's Kamui should have transported it here!"

"Can't sense it – either," Dan bit out.

"Where could it have gone?!" Kushina began panicking, "Dan-san-"

"I – I don't know," Dan gasped, before he shook violently, "I'm sorry-"

And then he was gone, as his soul was pulled back to Heaven.

Kushina could feel her strength ebbing away, but she could hold on for quite a few more minutes. Pushing back the desire to go find Naruto, she flitted through the clouds, looking around frantically for the Rasengan.

"It should be here," Kushina muttered, "Damnit!"

If Kakashi couldn't transport a simple Rasengan using Kamui, there was no way an overloaded mass of chakra would make it to Earth. And the entire success of their admittedly risky plan depended on that.

"Oh, come on, come on Kakashi," Kushina swept through the air, trying to sense the familiar chakra somewhere, anywhere.

There was nothing.

She searched for at least twenty more minutes, until she began shaking violently and her head went light.

And then seconds later, she was jerked back, and landed hard on her back.

Kakashi ran towards her, his eyes radiating concern.

"It didn't – work," Kushina croaked, her head swimming and the last thing she saw was Kakashi close his eyes in resignation, or disappointment, his silver brows furrowing angrily.

And then everything went black.

:::::

_His sleek body shone silver as the moonlight played nicely along his lean muscles._

_'Are you sure?' he asked, his eyes full of tender love and concern as he brushed a lock of hair away from her cheek._

_She met his deep gaze and nodded, wrapping her legs around him as he leaned down, his lips brushing against hers._

_'I'll always love you,' he promised her, stroking her cheek before thrusting down-_

Kushina's eyes flew open suddenly, and she shot up, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the dark.

She still felt unusually weak and light-headed, and she gripped her head, wondering where exactly she was.

It seemed like a hospital room of some sort, but she didn't know how she had landed up there.

Last she remembered, she had been at a clearing, with Jiraiya, Kakashi and the others, doing Spirit Control and –

Kamui.

Kamui had failed.

Kakashi hadn't been able to transport the chakra onto earth which meant-

"Minato-" Kushina wailed, her heart clenching painfully, "I'm so – I'm so sorry-"

And then she fell back into the bed – the empty bed – and sobbed against the pillow, the pillow which was much too soft.

She wanted Minato's chest, just then, but she wouldn't get it.

She would get any of him because he was still stuck in the stomach of the Shinigami and the one plan that they had to get him out had failed.

And he was doomed to be stuck there, in that infernal place, suffering and loving her, knowing that they could never be reconnected.

Just like she would be doomed to suffer in Heaven, longing for the touch of her husband, for the sound of his voice, for his gentle smile.

_'I'll always love you, Kushina…'_

Even if she couldn't be with him, what she would do to at least switch places with him, so that he could be up here with his students, with his sensei, with the ones he loved…

"Minato – I –" Kushina gasped, and clutched at the sheets as small bursts of chakra exploded from her fingertips, singing the material, "Damnit!"

Tears rolled down her eyes and she shook uncontrollably, sobbing into the pillow. She heard soft footsteps, and felt a gentle touch on her shoulder, and for a second her heart leapt.

But it wasn't him.

It would never be him.

And then she felt her vision blur again, the darkness falling over her eyes like a shroud, and Kushina welcomed it.

Because now only in dreams would she ever be happy and oblivious.

Only in dreams would she feel like she was with Minato.

:::::

_A/N: A lot of you asked for a lighter chapter with more character interactions and less exposition, so here it is. I hoped you enjoyed it. I did keep it a lot lighter and tried to inject some humor, though I know it got a little angsty towards the end. Sorry about that. [I hope it wasn't confusing, but what basically happened was that Kushina fainted from overexertion since she maintained Spirit Control for over 20 minutes - she's improving! And then she was taken to the hospital to rest and recover. That's all.]_

_And I admit, I sort of half-copied the flashback about fangirls from my other MinaKushi fic 'orange sparks' though I changed the dialogue and made them a little older during the interaction.  
_

_I hope nobody seemed out of character. I'm leaving Shisui's character open to interpretation since we don't know anything about his personality except for the fact that he was badass and selfless. _

___A few questions have been asked about what shippings will happen in Team Minato. Well, I personally like both KakaRin and ObitoRin, so I'm just leaving it open to interpretation for now, though if anyone has a particular request, do let me know, and I'll see if I choose one way or the other. _

___Regarding Naruto, Sasuke and the rest... well, they may feature in future chapters. We shall just have to wait and see ;)  
_

_____My thanks also to **Kari-Kateora, KiyumiArashi, InARealPickle **and **Hatred bear it** **Fangs **for pointing out a few typos/errors in the previous chapters, all of which have been fixed. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, readers, I just don't have a beta and barely have time to get these up, forget proofread them! Nonetheless, I apologize for the errors, and thanks, guys, for pointing them out =)_

_As usual, if you have any questions, please PM me or leave them in a review! Thank you for all your feeback so far. __  
_


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